Upcycling Fashion Show: Sustainability One Stitch at a Time

On April 29, the Middle School community gathered for the third annual Upcycling Fashion Show, an event that stitched together creativity, collaboration, and sustainability. Organized by the “Threads of Change” club, this was a celebration of student agency and environmental responsibility. 

The inspiration behind the Upcycling Fashion Show came from Middle School teacher Elsa Chan, who, after researching global fashion waste, taught herself to sew and invited her students to join her journey. "The show was inspired by a desire to break the endless cycle of buying and discarding," Chan explained. The main goals of the event were to nurture design thinking, encourage hands-on making, and help students recognize their impact on the environment as consumers.  

Throughout the design process, students worked with a mix of materials, including old clothes, curtains, tablecloths, tote bags, denim scraps, and even broken umbrellas. What surprised Chan most was students' ability to see possibilities where others saw only limitations. Some students struggled with sewing skills, material durability, or translating sketches into garments, but these challenges became opportunities for growth.  

"Watching them problem-solve was one of the most rewarding parts," Chan reflected. “They grew in resilience, collaboration, and technical skill. More importantly, they realized that innovation often comes from trial and error, not perfection on the first try." 

There was a buzz in the room as each model stepped onto the runway, wearing one-of-a-kind upcycled designs. The audience’s reactions, smiles, gasps, and applause. showed just how deeply the students’ work resonated. For many, it was the first time they had brought a long-term idea to life in such a public way. Seeing their creations on the runway transformed effort into pride and left a lasting sense of achievement.

Earlier in March, the "Threads of Change" club had also hosted the "Adaptive Fashion Sewathon," where students learned to design clothing for people with disabilities, deepening their understanding of fashion's role in inclusivity and environmental stewardship.  

Recycling and upcycling encourage students to think differently about waste and see its potential. In a world where fast fashion and disposable culture are so prevalent, students discovered that even small, creative acts can spark meaningful change, transforming discarded materials into wearable art.