The Recycled look is back in style in Wānaka.
Runway models were strutting their stuff last Thursday night, as part of the Refashion Show at the Lake Wānaka Centre.
The outfits on show were all curated from clothes found at the town's Wastebusters store, or from sustainable materials.
Designers were tasked with following the themes of ‘mood boards’ submitted by the community.
This is the second year of the event, which was started after Wastebusters team found they were being overrun by cheap fashion clothing items.
"They were things that weren't designed to last," said Wastebusters general manager Gina Dempster.
"We couldn't resell them and it was really hard on our team having to throw them out. So we started to do something about it, and that's how we started Slow Fashion Month and it evolved into this Refashion show."
Twizel-based designer Maria Ituarte Fadden spent four weeks hand-stitching her denim dress, which was constructed using 10 pairs of recycled jeans.
She said her goal was to represent the waterways of Wānaka - from the peaks to the ocean - in her creation.
"The idea is to, as a reminder, that fashion can not only damage our land, but also our waters," she said.
13 year old Abby Pessione made her runway model debut as part of the event, showcasing Fadden’s denim dress.
She said it was an exciting moment, which has encouraged her to try and explore the industry further.
"I've always really wanted to be a model, so maybe I can get more into it after this," said Miss Pessione.
"I've seen some models who do professional modelling around, and I want to talk to them about doing it. And, you know, this dress is a really good way to start off".
Organisers are hoping their show will inspire people to love their current clothes, and to repurpose or buy second hand garments where possible, rather than just relying on cheap and disposable "fast fashion".
