BY MIKE CHAIKEN
CTFashionMag.com.
In the end, 29 designers and design teams signed up to participate in Saturday’s Recycled Runway fundraiser at the American Mural Project.
CONTRIBUTED
But to get to 29, the project’s executive director, Amy Wynn, said the organization had to put a little elbow grease behind its recruiting efforts to make sure the second edition of the fundraiser was well represented.
“That was the hardest part (this year),” said Wynn of the search for participants.
“We went back to the previous designers (at the first Recycled Runway in 2019) and a handful of those people signed up,” said Wynn.
“We have more staff participating this year,” said Wynn. “The first time, it was just Ellen (Griesedieck), our founder and myself who participated. But this year we have four staff members participating as designers.”
Then began the big push.
“We just reached out like crazy,” said Wynn. “We sent out press releases. We went on television three different times calling for designers.”
“Now we have designers of all ages and abilities participating,” said Wynn. “So, we’re happy.”
The Recycled Runway finds creators sending out garments on the catwalk that use material that might otherwise have found its way into the waste stream.
For the event, Wynn said the designers’ creations needed to be made of at least 75% recycled or repurposed materials.
“It’s so theatrical and so much fun when you watch people (wear the garments in person),” said Wynn. “You can see the designs online, but it’s just not the same. Plus, every designer is enhancing their outfit between now and the time of the runway, too. So, what you see online … is not going to be what you see going down the runway. It’ll be enhanced with jewelry and accessories and all kinds of wild things.”
This year, Wynn said Jacques Lamarre (“a wonderful playwright and performer”) will serve as the emcee. “He’ll be really bringing everything to life” with descriptions of the creations.
“It’s just a blast,” Wynn said.
There have been changes to the Recycled Runway for this year. When the first one was held in 2019, it was part of the mural project’s fundraising gala. This year, the admission will be more affordable than the gala. Instead, the money will be collected through peer-to-peer fundraising.
“Each designer is raising money for a charity of their choice as well as AMP,” said Wynn. “It’s like runners when they do a race, you reach out to everyone you know, ‘Will you sponsor me for a dollar a mile or whatever.’” And then their friends go online to make their donations.
“(It’s a) really great way to engage the whole community and (invoke) creativity and ecology,” said Wynn of the Recycled Runway event.
The American Mural Project was launched in 2001 in Winsted by artist Ellen Griesedieck. The facility at 90 Whiting St. in Winsted is home to the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world — a three-dimensional mural 120 feet long and five stories high. The mural is a tribute to American workers.
Wynn said the Recycled Runway fundraiser fits in with the mural project’s mission of celebrating workers.
“It’s about not taking for granted the work that goes into making our clothing. And when you talk to any of these designers about how long (it took to make that garment and)…. how long did it take to even think of the design and figure it out — and then how long did it take you to construct it and then deconstruct it and reconstruct it again because it didn’t work the first time… (Recycled Runways becomes) about appreciating the hours of work that go into designing functional things that we use every day and making them.”
The public is welcome to vote online at americanmuralproject.org/runway-vote for their favorite runway creations and to support one or more of the 15 charities that will benefit from the show.
AMP’s Recycled Runway 2023 will be held Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m., in AMP’s mural exhibit space, 90 Whiting St. in Winsted. Tickets to the show are on sale at americanmuralproject.org/runway.
Following the event, the garments created for Recycled Runway will be on exhibit at the AMP.