PLANTATION, Fla. – Right now, the world’s corals are in crisis, in the grips of the worst global bleaching event on record that has hit more than 80% of the planet’s reefs.
Currently, a Broward youth interactive museum is doing its part to sound the alarm and get people to pay attention and be better stewards of the ocean, and it’s doing it through fashion.
The energy backstage is frenetic.
With just seconds to go before the show, it’s a mad scramble to get in those final touch-ups, but this catwalk serves a bigger purpose.
Seventeen young aspiring fashion designers, all in middle and high school, are honing their talents to save the planet.
It all began several months ago with a shoreline cleanup in Dania Beach.
Tracie Leon is the Executive Director of Young At Art, a Broward nonprofit interactive museum that, for the past 18 years, has been organizing these fashion immersive experiences for South Florida youth.
“If we find any special like things that we wanted to save, we saved them, and we’re using them on the dresses,” she said.
Leon gave the students a three-month crash course in becoming fashion designers, with one very important requirement.
“Seventy-five percent of our dresses are upcycled and recycled, so that’s part of the rule in making their dresses,” she said.
The students hit up a local thrift store, looking for materials that could be repurposed for the designs.
They’re guided and mentored by local artist Sue Aguilera, who’s been with the program for 15 years.
“Fashion is such a part of our lives, but sustainability needs to come in there too, right?” she said. “And we need to take care of our Earth, and so these ladies are really bringing awareness to that part of it.”
Every year brings a new theme. This year, it was all about saving our coral reefs.
It’s not just pollution causing the problem. Right now, climate change has driven ocean temperatures way too high, sparking the largest global mass bleaching event on record.
Currently, 84% of the planet’s corals are in danger of being lost forever.
These young students understand the assignment and the urgency of the moment.
Juliana Morales is creating a jellyfish-inspired design using over 300 dryer sheets to underscore how our consumption of single-use products is wreaking havoc on our planet, ending up in landfills and taking hundreds of years to decompose.
“These products that we use day-to-day that are part of a million dollar companies are hurting our environment and we can find solutions to help save it,” said Morales.
After months of hard work, from concept to sourcing materials to even coaching from a Project Runway winner, finally, the designers and their creations are ready for the runway.
“Things need to be wearable, so that’s kind of like the advice I’m giving everybody today,” said Project Runway Season 17 winner John Sebastian Grey.
In the end, the judges chose three standouts for first, second and third place, but the big winner was our planet ocean.
“Everybody in this audience is walking away more aware,” said Young At Art mentor and art teacher Sue Aguilera. “Everybody’s going to be more careful. We’re going to save the world. We’re going to save the world with fashion, and it’s my babies that made it happen.”
Morales’ jellyfish design took third place, but she was the judges’ choice to win a $1,000 scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Florida, a scholarship matched by a generous sponsor in the audience who offered the same award to every young designer who took part in the show.