Frugal 'Funky' Fashion Show Closes Out this Year's GCC

March 11, 2009

Students select clothes to wear for the Frugal Fashion Expo

Nervous excitement was in the air at this year’s Frugal Fashion Expo. The last event of the 2009 Green Cup Challenge—held late last month—was attended by a crowd of more than 60 Exonians, including 13 student models and a handful of parents, to experience the latest in ‘gently used’ goods on display and for sale at the student-run Modeling recycled fashions on the runwayExeter Exchange store. Each student model, looking Exeter chic, coordinated runway outfits using Exchange clothing and accessories. Parents and friends stood in the ‘wings,’ or sat quietly nearby, full of smiles, holding readied cameras. A small runway up the stairs of the Davis Center, lined with Christmas lights, and upbeat club music created an air of funky fun and excitement. Items included: clothes, shoes, a sophisticated calculator, umbrellas, stuffed animals, coats, hats, goggles, glasses, and even a Brooks Brothers™ men’s suit on sale for as little as $1.00.

This year’s fashion expo highlighted not only the idea of reducing our carbon footprint by reusing goods and resources, but also capped-off a four-week challenge of 50 New England schools, each working to conserve energy. Although Exeter’s results weren’t as good as in years past, consumption was under the kilowatt-hour baseline for three of the four weeks. Ultimately, the efforts of all 150 participating schools across the country resulted in a reduction of more than 1,200 tons of CO2 # that’s equal to taking 220 cars off the roads for one full year.

The expo also offered an educational component, primarily focusing on global consumerism, with environmental displays and informative materials, including a petition through Climate Counts to encourage companies to reduce their carbon footprint; a quiz on consumer knowledge of the products most often purchased; an anti-consumer clip encouraging wise consumerism; and a slideshow illustrating overconsumption of food in the United States, and comparisons of food consumed by families from around the world.

Taking a star turnSustainability Coordinator Jennifer Wilhelm, who worked with students to coordinate the fashion show, was quite pleased with its outcome. “This event felt energetic and exciting; the models seemed nervous, but in a good way. And I was so happy to notice that students and others in the audience took time to check out the educational materials on hand,” she says. “This was well-received by everyone at the show.”

The Exeter Exchange is open Wednesdays, 12-5 p.m. and Sundays, 3-7 p.m.  Getting ready behind the scenes

Interested in learning more?

Read the press release on the GCC, which includes a list of the schools involved…

Check out the Exeter Exchange...