Hotel sheets and beet juice.
Those are the materials Design & Architecture Senior High School student Erick Rodriguez used to create a garment inspired by fungi evolution. The ensemble consisted of a mushroom red corset and a layered skirt of hotel linens dyed with beets.
Erick, 16, is part of a growing generation of designers making an imprint on Miami’s fashion scene — by making less of an imprint on the environment.
By upcycling discarded textiles, students from schools like DASH, Barbara Goleman, Coral Gables and Miami Senior high schools are designing runway-ready looks that make a statement on the fashion industry’s contributions to the climate crisis. They presented their garments at Miami Dade College’s annual Upcycle Challenge competition this past December.
“I really like making stuff out of nothing,” Erick said.
“Giving value to something that’s been thrown away, or something that’s not seen as valuable to someone anymore, and remaking it into something one-of-a-kind or multiple iterations of it — I think it’s really beautiful. It has a story. It gives it a life.”
The sustainable fashion movement has been growing for years, and South Florida native Gabriella Smith was pivotal in bringing it to local classrooms. Today, Smith is the founder of the nonprofit Upcycle Project and a partner of MDC’s Upcycle Challenge.
“Design students are so creative and unafraid,” Smith told WLRN. “They don’t mind making mistakes, and so, they’re not jaded. They’re just willing to explore.”
Smith hosted a panel of the judges evaluating young designers’ upcycled garments at the December showcase. The competition was part of a larger event challenging high school students to master skills that would serve them in the workplace.
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Kynnedie Parker and Lola Amuz, students at Barbara Goleman Senior High School, created an ode to the colorful architecture of Spain and Miami — with a twist.
“We had to be very creative with this project,” Kynnedie said. “We used a robe that (was donated) for the top, so that adds a lot of texture to the top. And then we also have a little trim, and it’s really giving Spanish mosaic.”
Students from Coral Gables Senior High School got creative, as well. Fauzat Hafidh created a pink and yellow sunset dress ornamented by a series of intricate ruffles.
“I used napkins and bedsheets and comforters and old hotel jackets,” Fauzat said.
The student designers were competing for a full ride scholarship to Miami Fashion Institute.
How the Upcycle Project got its start
Smith’s journey started years ago, when she had an epiphany while working in the beauty industry.
”I witnessed a lot of destruction of beauty products that didn’t sell in certain retailers. I saw that and I was like, ‘Huh, that’s odd,’” Smith said. “’Why would they destroy these perfectly good perfumes? … I wonder if fashion brands do this, too.’”
Smith began looking into the issue. She learned that by the time a piece of clothing reaches the market, brands have already discarded batches of faulty products.
“It’s under the tab of ‘we want to protect our brand, and if these products go out into the marketplace, then our brand will be damaged,’” Smith explained. “But they don’t take into consideration all of the resources that were already used to make these products that are now going into the landfill.”
Smith’s first attempts at working with fashion brands proved unfruitful. She said she was frustrated with companies’ lack of transparency about the details of their production process.
So, she started the Upcycle Project. Through circular solutions that bring discarded materials back into the fashion cycle, the project works with brands and design schools nationwide to make the case for a more sustainable and transparent industry.
The issue of textile waste ending up in landfills is especially relevant in South Florida, where the hospitality industry uses large amounts of fabric for uniforms, sheets, towels, napkins and other supplies.
The Upcycle Project works closely with local businesses to repurpose these textiles. The endeavor includes donating fabric to high school classrooms for the Upcycle Challenge competition, which allows her to teach designers about the importance of sustainability early.
One such classroom is Sandra Beloney’s fashion design class at Miami Senior High. Beloney is adamant on introducing sustainability to her students.
”It’s very important, because they are the future!” she said. “They’re the one that’s going to take on this challenge and bring it to fruition. I teach that a lot in my lessons in my classroom, because as we stand right now, we have a crisis. And fashion is definitely one of the culprits in terms of how we create, how we construct.”
And the winner is…
Once all the students had displayed their looks at Miami Dade College’s annual Upcycle Challenge, it was time to announce the winners.
From long flowy beaded skirts inspired by the beach to deconstructed suits that play on gender norms, the designers went all out.
It was Erick Rodriguez who won first place.
The entire room roared in applause for the 16-year-old designer.
Teary eyed, Erick shared the significance of this level of recognition and what comes next.
“ It’s very emotional, because I stayed up one whole night ’til like five in the morning, and I’ve been working hard, and it just, it means a lot to me,” Erick said.
“I would really want to pursue fashion even more. I love fashion. I love just creating stuff,” Erick said. “And if I can see myself anywhere in fashion, I’m happy.“
With these young designers on the rise — designers driven to create something out of nothing — the future of fashion might just be in the right hands.
This story was reported, produced and photographed by Nyle Jones, a high school student intern with WLRN News. Jones is a senior at Design & Architecture Senior High in Miami’s Design District.
