Iowa State Fashion Week and The Fashion Show 2021 hosted the “Repurpose Your Clothing” event with guest lecturer Gretchen Bohling on Thursday. 

Participants joined Bohling in a workshop-style lecture where they sat at sewing machines and talked with each other about how they should repurpose their clothing items. Button-up shirts and fabric scraps ornamented the room while the participants laughed with Bohling and listened to pop music. Topics like sustainability and fashion were at the forefront of the day. Participants created new designs by using garments that were second-hand, in need of mending or out of style. 

“I think [sustainability] is super important,” Bohling said. “I think it’s nice to see that there’s been a noticeable shift in people and consumers being aware of more sustainable fashion.” 

Bohling is the owner of Gretchen Bohling Designs out of Des Moines. Her company focuses on creating made-to-wear garments through sustainable practices. 

Makenzi Marek, a senior in apparel, merchandising and design, is one of the outreach producers for The Fashion Show 2021. 

“I’m starting to get better at sustainability,” Marek said. “I wouldn’t say three years ago that I was super knowledgeable about it. [I’m] slowly changing and being more aware!” 

As an outreach producer, Marek helped decide to bring in Bohling for a guest workshop to get people participating in Fashion Week. She said the team chose Bohling because of her sewing talents, Iowan roots and knowledge of sustainability fashion. 

“We really wanted to do something that would get students interactive instead of just sitting in a lecture,” said Megan Szabo, senior in apparel, merchandising and design, as she worked on her sewing project. “It’s so beneficial to be learning from designers, learning about their companies and getting that hands-on experience.” 

Szabo is also an outreach producer for The Fashion Show 2021. 

“This year, our main goal as outreach producers is to have a runway show whether there’s no audience or there is,” Szabo said. “… We’ve done a lot of brainstorming. We’re working our hardest to have a runway show not only for us and our director’s committee, community members, models [and] designers but for the Iowa State community, too.” 

The Fashion Show 2021 will be at 5:30 pm Friday and Saturday at Reiman Gardens. The runway show theme is “Metamorphosis.” Follow @isufashionshow on social media to learn more about online viewing options and updates on Fashion Week events. Please visit the ISU Fashion Show website for more information.