Wear it, don’t waste it, was the theme of Kings Plaza’s “Recycle the Runway” event, held in honor of Earth Day at the shopping center (5100 Kings Plaza) on Friday, April 22.
In this “anything goes,” eco-friendly competition, participants were asked to use anything at their disposal (no pun intended) to create fashion-forward looks that would “make Mother Earth proud.”
Contestants were given two hours to transform everyday trash items e.g. potato chip bags, newspapers, magazines, MetroCards and bubble wrap, into wearable fashion.
“The event generates awareness to Earth Day in a fun, family-friendly environment,” said Dawn Simon, area regional manager for Kings Plaza when asked why “Recycle the Runway” was important for Brooklynites to participate in. “This is the first time Kings Plaza is hosting this event, but we plan to host more events to connect the community to our shopping center.”
Brooklynite Jakiem Crayon was the day’s winner, taking home the first place eco-nista title with his creation that featured recycled newspapers, paper cut outs, other recycled fabrics and original drawings.
The event was a precursor to the forthcoming 10th anniversary of Fashion Week Brooklyn (FWBK), a lineup of runway shows that showcases the work of aspiring, international designers in the borough from May 1 to May 8.
“Unlike New York Fashion Week which focuses on major designers, Fashion Week Brooklyn is based on the essence of the borough, which is community,” said Founder Rick Davy.
According to FWBK’s site, since its debut 10 years ago, the event has made Brooklyn a “place for international and local designers within the community to showcase their collections.” The week-long event was also recently dubbed number five on a list of the top 10 independent fashion weeks from around the world.
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