Press release from Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina:
Seven local fashion designers will compete in the 5th Color Me Goodwill upcycled fashion show, which takes place Friday, April 26, at The Orange Peel. The show includes returning favorites as well as designers competing in Color Me Goodwill for the first time.
Each designer receives $125 to shop for supplies at area Goodwill stores, which they deconstruct and rebuild to create color-inspired collections. The show features local models, including clients from Goodwill’s employment and job training programs. A panel of expert judges selects the first-place winner, who receives a $500 cash prize. The audience also votes on their favorite designer, who receives $200.
The designers competing, and their assigned colors, are:
Red Collection – Leanna Echeverri
Green Collection – Stina Andersen
Black Collection – Jon Pierce
Blue Collection – Birgeta Mannikan
Pink Collection – Princess D. La’Rue
Silver Collection – Art Blue
Yellow Collection – Caleb Owolabi“In each of the four previous Color Me Goodwill shows, six designers presented collections,” said Sarah Merrell, who has been the Color Me Goodwill show director since it launched in 2015. “This year, the pool of designers was so competitive that we decided to expand to seven collections. So for the show’s fifth anniversary, the audience will get to enjoy even more stunning fashions walking the runway.”
“Color Me Goodwill has been standing room-only every year, which generates a lot of positive buzz for the designers, models, and make-up and hair artists,” said Pam Anglin, Goodwill’s vice president of marketing and communications. “We’re excited about continuing to showcase the talented fashion professionals working in Asheville. And the event reminds the community of the unique finds available in Goodwill stores, and of how those purchases support Goodwill’s employment programs.”
Leanna Echeverri’s Marie Antoinette-inspired collection won both the first-place prize and the audience favorite award in the 2018 Color Me Goodwill show. She is the only designer to have competed in Color Me Goodwill every year. She operates Grateful Threads Asheville.
Stina Andersen competed in the very first Color Me Goodwill in 2015, designing the Blue Collection. She is the owner of ARTeries Mobile Boutique and is well known in the Asheville fashion community for her colorful designs and use of upcycled materials.
Jon Pierce returns to Color Me Goodwill after debuting in the 2018 show with his Pokemon-inspired Red Collection. Based in Greenville, S.C., he frequently designs for Asheville-area fashion shows and photo shoots.
Birgeta Mannikan is competing in Color Me Goodwill for the first time. She recently began transitioning to fashion after designing hand bags for the past seven years. She is a past winner of the Costume Drama Fashion Show, and is accustomed to working with unconventional materials.
Princess D. La’Rue is also making her Color Me Goodwill debut. A fashion stylist who recently began designing clothing, she has participated in fashion events in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.
Art Blue, another first-timer, started his reconstructed vintage-inspired line 10 years ago, which he has sold at Vintage Moon, Hip Replacements, Honeypot, Twice Round and The Downtown Market. Last summer he designed for Asheville Community Theatre’s “Costume Drama: A Fashion Show,” creating an Asian-inspired gown out of 800 pieces of decorative paper.
Caleb Owolabi returns to Color Me Goodwill for the third time. In addition to his fashion start-up Mon Jean Pierre, Caleb participates in local fashion events as a designer and stylist. He has also volunteered his skills to Goodwill’s Youth Services program, coaching at-risk teens on how to dress neatly and professionally with a limited budget.
Tickets will go on sale through The Orange Peel Box Office in February. The $20 ticket includes heavy hors d’oeuvres served during a cocktail hour beginning at 6 p.m. The show begins at 7 p.m.
For more information on Color Me Goodwill, please visit www.colormegoodwill.org.
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