Youth fashion contest focuses on sustainability and creativity

Youth in grades 8-12 can create one-of-a-kind upcycled outfits and get expert advice from Mount Mary’s fashion faculty in the new “Uniquely Yours” fashion contest, which begins Thursday, Nov. 10.

“Using mostly upcycled materials, students can stitch, staple, tape or glue their way to a one-of-a-kind garment,” said assistant fashion professor Elena Pitts. “Along the way, our faculty will offer Zoom sessions to make sure nothing holds young people back from creating their own look.”

Winning garments will be featured in CREO 2023, Mount Mary’s annual student designer fashion show. Winners will also receive tickets to the show and full or partial scholarships to the 2023 Summer Fashion Academy at Mount Mary.

Here is an overview of the project:

• Students may work individually or in teams of two.
• The outfit or garment can be constructed in any suitable way that is secure and can be worn by a model on a runway. It can be sewn, glued, stapled, taped, woven, knitted, etc.
• The garment or outfit can be created on or with an existing piece of clothing or can be sewn or constructed from scratch using a pattern
• At least 80% of materials used must be recycled, second hand or gently used. Suggested materials: fabrics, current garments in your closet, aluminum cans, tissue paper or paper of all kinds, old patterns, grocery bags, coffee filters, newspaper, magazine pages, egg cartons, garbage bags, etc.
• For interested students, Mount Mary is offering free supply kits; visit the web page for more information.

The first Zoom session to discuss specifics of the project will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10. Entries are due Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. For more details or to register, visit www.mtmary.edu/fashioncontest.