On April 21st, the Sustainable Fashion Forum gathered an amazing group of designers, creatives, makers, influencers and the community together at Yale Union to chat about ethical and sustainable fashion and how we can individually and collectively make the fashion industry less wasteful. This event kicked-off Portland Design Week and included two panel discussions, pop-up market, fashion show and plenty of time to network with others in the community.
The event was also the fabric distribution day for the Modified Style design challenge. The fabrics I received are definitely different than what I usually work with. The main fabric is a beige plaid fused with a micro-fleece that is almost upholstery weight. With about 12 yards of this plaid, I will need to use it in multiple looks. Multicolored mid-weight wool, navy cotton, rust textured microfiber and a burgundy nylon tulle, most around 2 yards, rounded out the rest of the fabrics.
Garment design rules state I must use only the donated fabric provided by Modified Style Portland, I may not use other fabrics to create the designs, but I may use accessories and notions of my choosing. I have about 8 weeks to create my pieces and then they will be presented and judged at the fundraiser fashion show on June 28th. After the fashion show, all the garments will come back to the stage to be auctioned off, with proceeds donated to the 2018 beneficiaries, Caldera Arts and the Veldstra family.