Models make fashion statement while promoting sustainability at Del. Goodwill

However, event organizers say shoppers can reduce their carbon footprint by shopping at thrift stores. The elevated vintage garments showcased on the runway were quite the opposite of grandpa’s hand-me-downs.

Tia Jones, stylist at Tia Couture, said she wants to dispel misconceptions that thrift store clothes are unattractive and poorly made.

“You can find amazing things, although they are inexpensive, because it’s a thrift store,” she said. “You will find a lot of quality. Vintage dresses were made with so much more care.”

University of Delaware fashion students showcased original runway-ready garments designed with unconventional materials from Goodwill — from an A-line dress made out of men’s neckties to a teddy and matching boots upcycled from a quilt.

Student fashion designer Casey Tyler was particularly proud of his evening gown attached with Goodwill’s recycled plastic bags.

“The message we would love to focus on today is the fact that you really need to be conscious with your choices when it comes to fashion,” Tyler said. “Whether you have the money to spend on something really sustainable … or … you’re buying secondhand, as long as you’re conscious about the choices that you make when it comes to fashion, it will really help in the long run.”

The University of Delaware has partnered with Goodwill over the past eight years to research ways to upcycle textiles and divert them from landfills.

Goodwill, which uses its proceeds to offer no-cost job skills training, diverted 4.3 billion pounds of used goods away from landfills nationwide in 2023. The nonprofit sells 95% of donated clothes and only sends items to the landfill if they’re damaged or moldy.

“The community trusts us with the items they donate. So, we want to keep those out of the landfill,” said Leah Williams, vice president of brand and community engagement for Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. “We want to sell as much as possible, and that which we can’t sell, if we’re able to then upcycle and recycle it, perhaps generate revenue that could go back into our mission so we can serve more people.”

Beatrice Millan-Windorski, Miss Earth USA 2024, emceed Thursday night’s runway event. The pageant queen, who aims to spread awareness about people displaced by the impacts of climate change, wants to assure shoppers that thrifting doesn’t have to be intimidating.

“It can be really overwhelming the fact that global temperatures are rising, there’s rising sea levels, prolonged droughts,” Millan-Windorski said. “However, if everyone comes together and makes small changes like buying secondhand, not contributing to the fast fashion cycle, that’s when we can unite and really make a difference.”

She also advises shoppers to only buy garments that will be worn more than six times.