MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Lake Superior Art Association held a unique fashion show Tuesday night at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.
Clothing designer Joanne Shelby has been making clothes out of repurposed fabric for years. Her show tonight was all about how to find hidden gems in thrift shops and turn them into works of wearable art. She told the room of aspiring upcycle designers how easy it is to make beautiful one-of-a-kind clothing from other people’s cast-offs.
“You don’t need to know how to sew; there’s so much surface design, and that’s what I wanted to talk about tonight. There are different dying techniques, painting on the fabric, just a lot of interesting things you can do, because so many people don’t know how to sew,” said Shelby.
The fashion industry is considered a significant polluter, contributing a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and textile waste. Shelby believes upcycling can also reduce the volume of old clothing in our landfills.
