Charlotte Varcoe
COME Fly With Me will be the theme for this year’s Recycled Runway, which will celebrate its 11th annual fundraising affair.
The popular event has already sold 45 entries in less than a week.
Of the 20 unmodeled entries available, six have been sold so far.
Each year, the event encourages recycling old clothing donated to the Bell Tower Opportunity Shop while raising funds for ac.care.
Participants attend the store and purchase a recyclable bag with a number clothing pieces with a challenge material also included.
This year’s challenge material for the modelled category will be a sleeping mask with participants encouraged to use their full creativity and work it into their outfits.
Event coordinator Trudy-Anne Doyle said this year’s theme was “more fun” and allowed people to do more with the clothing given.
“We came up with the idea of aviation when we were thinking about setting up the St Martin’s School hall like a plane and have a departure lounge and cockpit for the judges,” Ms Doyle said.
“I thought we would have a lot of people doing air hostess costumes but people are coming up with more broad ideas such as birds and famous characters who fly around as well, which is much more than I expected.”
Ms Doyle said there was also a twist on the unmodeled category this year after feedback from Twisted Threads.
She said the group suggested putting in objects such as half-knitted items which often come into the shop or other knitted things which could be unravelled.
“In the main runway bags, the challenge item for this year is a sleeping mask with each contestant getting about six or seven garments and a sleeping mask which I have tried to colour coordinate,” Ms Doyle said.
“Some people may not be able to use the sleeping mask, but some will find a way which will be interesting to see what they come up with.
“What has also happened so far is people are coming and picking up the bags for their children, so we already seem to have a lot of children interested in participating.”
This year, the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) has also come on board by taking care of selling raffle tickets.
Ms Doyle said all funds raised by the raffle would go back into the pockets of the RFDS to fit in with the theme.
Contestant Stella Harfield said this year’s event was her third year as a participant after being encouraged to enter by a previous winner.
“The thing I like most is seeing what I can make from what I have been given, particularly to fit the theme,” Ms Harfield said.
“I am definitely looking forward to this year’s theme as there is a lot more range than there first appears to be and I am looking forward to seeing if I can make my outfit just a little bit different to everyone else’s.”
While tickets are not on sale yet, the main event will be held at St Martins School Hall on September 2, with bags still for sale at the opportunity shop.
