Thrift Store Runway show raises money for the Bib & Tucker Sew-Op
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Check out this slideshow from the event! All photos via Kristina O’Quinn for Bham Now
On Friday, October 13th, Trim Tab Brewing Company was filled with racks on racks of donated clothing of yesteryear. Sourced from the finest thrift stores and generous supporters in the Greater Birmingham Metropolitan Area, these clothes provided the spark for the creative juices of eight teams of designers, stylists, models and seamstresses to redesign and stage an outfit in two hours. Each team was assigned a seamstress from the Bib&Tucker Sew Op, the beneficiary non-profit organization of this fundraising event.
Each team had only a couple of minutes to shop for clothes on the racks, redesign an outfit and then take them to their seamstress, who sewed together the outfit, in a similarly limited amount of time. Then, the outfits were put on models, who walked a fabulous runway show judged by a panel of local fashion icons, Liesa Cole, Chatham Hellmers and Chris Hemphill. Each team received a certificate, highlighting the particular special qualities of their creation.
While the seamstresses sewed together the outfits, attendees were able to shop from the racks, try on outfits in pop up dressing rooms, and model the outfits for their friends.
The mission of the Bib & Tucker Sew Op is to cultivate skills and community for those who sew or want to sew (ages 9-99) where everyone can be both a teacher and a student.
One dream of the Sew-Op is to facilitate a sewing-based cottage industry that provides income and flexible working conditions for women who head their households.
Bib & Tucker is a 501c3 non-profit organization, funded through grants and charitable contributions.
