This year marked a significant milestone—the 10th anniversary of the Recycling Fashion Show hosted by Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful and Mecklenburg County Solid Waste. The event, known as Recycle the Runway 2024, was held on April 20, at North Lake Mall, celebrating a decade of combining fashion innovation with environmental consciousness.

The fashion show, open to all Mecklenburg County public and private high schools, provided an exceptional platform for high school students from six participating Mecklenburg County schools—including William Amos Hough High School, Mallard Creek High School, Northwest School of the Arts, Providence High School, Lake Norman Charter High School, and Independence High School—to showcase their creativity and design prowess. Participants designed, created, and modeled avant-garde outfits crafted from recyclable materials, competing for cash prizes totaling thousands of dollars.

The creations highlighted the potential of recycled materials in fashion, emphasizing sustainability and waste reduction. The awards were well contested, with Providence High School taking home 'Best in Show' and a $4,000 prize for their "Ode to Nature" outfit. Mallard Creek High School received the 'Most Creative Use of Recyclable Materials' award and $2,500, and Lake Norman Charter won both the 'Greatest Variety of Recyclable Materials', and 'Crowd Favorite' awards, $2,500 and $2,000, underlining the event's competitive spirit and the high caliber of entries.

Recycle the Runway 2024 not only served as a competition but also as an educational opportunity, reinforcing the importance of proper recycling practices in Mecklenburg County. It opened new horizons for students, showcasing a blend of artistic expression and environmental responsibility, and laid a foundation for future possibilities in both fashion and sustainability.

The event organizers are looking forward to the next decade, inviting potential sponsors to join in supporting Recycle the Runway 2025. The goal is to expand the impact and award even more significant prizes, further encouraging young designers to think creatively about recycling and sustainability. For information on being a 2025 sponsor, please email [email protected].