EAST LANSING, Mich. -- After weeks of sewing, research and classroom discussion, 16 eco-friendly fashion designers from Michigan State University will join "Avatar" producer and director James Cameron and wife Suzy Amis Cameron in Nashville for "Southern Shores," a fundraising fashion show and auction.
At the invitation of the Camerons, students from "Special Topics: Innovative Approaches in Apparel Design" will be the only non-professional designers for the April 23 event, which is tied to the 40th anniversary of Earth Day April 22. Proceeds from the auction will go to MUSE Global, an initiative of MUSE Elementary, which Amis Cameron founded with her sister, Rebecca Amis.
In March, Amis Cameron wore a sustainable dress designed by MSU senior Jillian Granz to the Academy Awards as part of the "Red Carpet Green Dress" competition, which also benefited MUSE Global. Granz is in the class, which is taught by Theresa Winge, assistant professor of apparel and textile design.
"‘Southern Shores' is an exceptional opportunity for the apparel and textile design students because they were able to fully explore the intricacies of sustainable fashion design while contributing to a good cause," Winge said. "In coming years, we hope our students cultivate more opportunities to investigate the possibilities of sustainable design."
For example, "Blue Perception" by Mary Grace Blowers, one of Winge's students, is 84 percent sustainable. Created from a repurposed cotton-polyester blend, its value is $2,200.
Two other students, Sarah Bach and Lauren Paulauskas, created gowns from recycled and repurposed plastic bags. Both designers used heating methods to transform plastic bags into evening gowns, but each gown reflects the individual designer's taste.
"By repurposing plastic items or melting them down to create new plastic items, plastic is given a second life," Paulauskas said. "My dress has rescued plastic from its potential life in a landfill and given it a life on the catwalk."
The event is the brainchild of Jeff Garner, founder of the sustainable-design clothing firm Prophetik. Prophetik is an eco-friendly company based in Nashville, focusing on the conservation of limited resources and waste minimization in fashion.
Nashville's Smith House will host the fashion show and auction from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The MSU designers will have an opportunity to discuss their green designs with potential bidders prior to the auction.
"'Red Carpet Green Dress' was created as a logical initiative to encourage promising young designers to think with a global and sustainable mindset," Amis Cameron said. "The designs from the 15 MSU entrants were an impressive blend of sustainability and style; and we are excited to showcase them at the 'Southern Shores' fashion event in Nashville.
"The proceeds of this evening will benefit MUSE Elementary, a nonprofit school, and MUSE Global's efforts in assisting Mae Sot, our sister school in Thailand, in achieving a sustainable future for their children."
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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.