MNN - Mother Nature Network

This Saturday, July 24, area environmentalists and fashionistas will discover a mecca of shared interests at New Orleans’ fourth annual Worn Again fashion extravaganza hosted by The Howlin Wolf located in New Orleans’ warehouse district at the corner of South Peters and South Diamond streets.  

 

Worn Again — created in 2005 in Richmond, Va., by Garyt Shiflett and Anna Virginia as a fundraising event for various grassroots, nonprofit organizations — has found a welcome home in the Crescent City and is celebrating its fourth year here. The benefit's increasing attendance should make it an annual staple for years to come.

 

The mission of Worn Again is to raise awareness regarding recycled materials. And this year the city’s ever-growing independent design community should find extra support from the increased interest in local environmental awareness groups, a fortunate byproduct of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding coastal wetlands.

 

This year’s competition features 24 designers who stepped up to the challenge to create something fabulous from discarded garments and castoff materials hand picked by the competition’s judges. Jurors David Dartnell, Kim Martinez and Mallory Whitfield represent the spectrum of New Orleans creativity in the worlds of high fashion and crafting.

 

The festivities will begin with an exclusive patrons’ party and silent auction complete with DJ and emcee starting at 7:30 p.m. followed by the fashion show starting at 9 p.m. The evening’s events will be topped off with the Recycled Dance Competition starting at 11 p.m. and lasting until the wee hours — and if the dance competition proves to be anything like last year’s, it should definitely shake the house down! Also, it should be noted that the set, signage, printed materials and merchandise are handmade and incorporate as much recycled material as possible (about 90 percent) following the same ethic the judges set for the designers.

 

All proceeds will be directed to Press Street, a New Orleans-based 501c3 literary and visual arts collective that promotes literature and art in the community through social events, arts education and publications.  

 

If you find yourself around the New Orleans area this weekend, I urge you not to miss this evening of fresh design, music and dance.

 

You can follow Worn Again on Facebook and MySpace.