Charlotte’s most unique fashion show and fundraiser is back September 12 at Blume Studios, where the couture sashaying down the runway is made exclusively of recycled vinyl billboards. This is the sixth year ArtPop’s Upcycled Fashion Show will surprise and delight attendees by transforming these billboards into wearable masterpieces.
“It's art becoming more art,” says Wendy Hickey, ArtPop’s founder and executive director.
Each year, ArtPop chooses around 20 artists from about 300 applications to create billboards. The nonprofit’s marque program puts local artists’ work on billboards from the region to Times Square and even Italy.
As soon as a new set of billboards goes up, designers begin upcycling the old ones for the fashion show. By doing this, ArtPop keeps more than 13,000 square feet of vinyl out of landfills each year while also giving the billboard artists’ work new life.
“Our fundraiser is a celebration of creativity, sustainability and community, proving that when artists are empowered, they transform not only retired ArtPop billboard vinyl material, but the way we see the world around us,” says Hickey.
In the past five years, the show has raised more than $200,000 to support local artists.
This year’s event will feature 15 local designers, including Gianna Ross, founder and creative director for Street Serenade Apparel, and one VIP guest designer, Virgil Ortiz, a potter and designer from New Mexico.
“Fashion has always been one way I tell stories and connect culture with creativity,” says Ross. “I’m excited to be part of this year’s ArtPop Fashion Show because it creates a space for artists to share their perspective through design.