Cotton Candy Kelp dress by Cari Borja
Cotton Candy Kelp dress by Cari Borja

Cari Borja, Miranda Caroligne, Aimee Baldwin & Thomas Haryanto to Present Creations at ‘Discarded to Divine’ Recycled Couture Fashion Show

DALLAS, Mar 27, 2008 / FW/ — ‘Green is the new black’ is raised several notches at San Francisco’s ‘Discarded to Divine’ fashion show wherein every item in this group collection was made from ‘recycled’ fabric.

Now on its third year, the ‘Discarded to Divine’ fashion show is held to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Society, one of San Francisco’s major human service organizations with various programs that help the most fragile people in our community – those suffering from homelessness, poverty, domestic violence and addiction.

Miranda Caroligne
Miranda Caroligne

The Society’s programs include the largest homeless shelter in Northern California, the largest continuum of battered women’s shelters and services in the city, and one of only two programs in San Francisco that distributes free clothing. Every day the St. Vincent de Paul Society feeds, clothes, shelters and helps over 1,000 men, women and children, serving more than 72,000 individuals a year.

On April 26th, Bay Area designers Cari Borja, Miranda Caroligne, Aimee Baldwin are being joined by Thomas Haryanto of City College of San Francisco CCSF and design students from the Academy of Art University and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) to present one-of-a-kind fashion items created from ‘discarded clothes and materials.’

Cari Borja’s ‘Cotton Candy Kelp’ dress was inspired by Chihuly’s “Seaforms” in the de Young Museum. (photo above)

Miranda Caroligne created a 100% recycled cloak out of sweaters. “The Recon Sculpture Cloak mirrors the silhouettes and envelopments of “La Maternite” while cultivating the form into a multidimensional wearable experience,” said Miranda.

Tuxedo Redressed by Aimee Baldwin
Tuxedo Redressed by Aimee Baldwin

“These sweaters on their own were forgotten, discarded and unwanted items. However, in honoring the wise beauty of evolution, they have been manipulated and unified into a stunning piece.”

Aimee Baldwin’s “Tuxedo Redressed” is the transformation of a discarded tuxedo using elements of women’s clothing. Inspired by Louise Nevelson’s monochromatic sculpture, it emphasizes elegance in line and balance in form without mirrored symmetry.

“Redressed” brings to men’s contemporary formal wear dynamism that is all too frequently absent.

Thomas Haryanto, a design student at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) chose to emphasize the back with a huge bow in his cocktail dress (photo above) with an asymmetrical hemline.

Event Details

Discarded to Divine Preview
Friday, April 4, 2008 – 5:00 PM to 8:45 PM
de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Discarded to Divine
Recycled Couture Fashion Show, Auction and Cocktail Party

Thomas Haryanto
Thomas Haryanto

Saturday, April 26, 2008 – 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Hosted by Academy of Art University
601 Brannan Street, San Francisco

General Tickets: $45 advance/$55 door;
VIP Tickets (limited): $75 advance/$90 door
Space is limited. RSVP to (415) 977-1270 or
Online at www.discardedtodivine.org

Thomas Haryanto
Thomas Haryanto