On Oct. 24, Garb, one of UC Berkeley’s student-run fashion clubs, hosted their Garb-age Runway event, “Thrifts and Riffs,” in Thorsen House. The night was filled with sustainably made student designs, student musicians, and an air of celebration and support — all from a community centered around circular fashion and self expression.
Upon stepping into Thorsen House, I was immediately thrown into the busyness of backstage. Voices hollering, “Does anyone have bobby pins?” and, “Line up, models!” overlapped as I weaved through people in an array of eccentric outfits. Amid all the chaos, The Daily Californian was able to sit down with Garb’s Co-Director of Runway, Danielle Frank, who emphasized the theme for the night: F— Fast Fashion.
“Everything that is in this show is sustainably sourced or a piece of trash that’s been recreated into an amazing, artistic vision,” Frank said. She told me she even took the designers on a materials run to Urban Ore and Reuse For Arts & Crafts.
While attaching last-minute wings to her model, designer Kadyn Day described her five-piece collection. She used old Halloween costumes, often only worn once, to create her outfits. In other designs, she used literal trash.
Designer Xiomara “Xio” Kim dressed her models head to toe in Modelo, reassembling beer cases fished out from her building’s recycling into a panelled miniskirt and tube top. Similarly, Ellie Sun gathered “what (she) had available,” stringing together plastic bottles to form the bodice of a playfully ribboned blouse.
Some took the theme in another direction, weaving a message of conservation into their pieces. Emma Ngo used a filet crochet technique to work sequences of rabbits into her “Hop Top”, a nod to her animal conservation. Senior Zachary Dell, who specializes in knitwear, splurged on cruelty-free yarn.
Come time for the actual runway to begin, attendees were ushered into the house and lined up against the walls. Sitting next to me, spectator Daniel Edeza told me, “The theme … it’s very Berkeley.”
As the models sashayed down the stairs one by one, friends and supporters whooped and cheered, prompting models to break into grins. When they reached the ends of each room, the models showed off with poses: Some mimed putting on a crown, some blew kisses, some twirled in their flowing skirts. Following the models, the designers emerged to a crescendo of applause.
Many designers credited their interest in fashion and creation to their loved ones. Day’s first sewing machine was gifted to her by her grandmother; Dell’s first knitting machine was bought at Michaels with his uncles. Brooke Blacklidge’s collection of bloomers, fitted tops, neck ribbons and award ribbons made entirely out of mismatched button-up shirts not only reimagined the look of prestige but paid homage to her father, who would iron his work shirts in the bedroom when she was growing up.
Aside from the runway, Garb held fast to its theme throughout the night. “Not only is it an awesome runway, an awesome band night, but it’s sustainable in every way possible,” Frank told the Daily Cal. In partnership with the Surfrider Foundation, Garb enforced a “Bring Your Own Cup” rule for drinks, requiring people to purchase a reusable cup if they didn’t have their own. Mason jars and reusable Gatorade bottles replaced single-use red Solo cups at the bar.
Around Thorsen House, posters collaged from trash showed another way old materials can come together to make new meaning. There was also a lino printing table for anyone interested in creating fashion, which club members highlighted was a hobby for anyone.
As Kim put it, “If we change our fashion slightly to be more circular (and) sustainable, that really puts a massive impact on how we treat our planet and how we view it.”
After the show concluded, everyone was urged back outside to enjoy music from student bands. Stepping outside to headbanging, reusable cupware and laughter, the joie de vivre was palpable. Alexis Rico, Garb’s head editor, told me this semester’s theme was “Performative,” or in other words, “doing what you love, doing what makes you you, but to the max.”
For these fashionistas, this means making sustainable fashion together in Garb.
