ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The “Color Me Goodwill” fashion show is an annual event with a decade-long runway. This year, however, the event is a slightly different hue.
Rather than supporting Goodwill directly, the rebranded “Color Me Asheville” fashion show will give 100% of its proceeds directly to BeLoved Asheville, a signature nonprofit aiding the community after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. with doors at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 4 at the Orange Peel.
“Color Me Asheville” will feature the work of regional fashion designers with a unique twist: all of the clothing the models wear is thrifted from Goodwill. Furthermore, each designer is given only a single color to work in the confines of.
According to the “Color Me” rules, models must be dressed in clothing that falls in the spectrum of red, blue, purple, yellow, pink, brown or green.
“It’s a celebration of resiliency and creativity,” said Leanna Echeverri, “Color Me Asheville” show director. “I mean, they make clothes with cast-offs of all kinds of bedsheets and shower curtains and place mats.”
In a photo from a previous show, a group of blue models wore funky hats, including a sombrero, a tiara and a fedora. A pink model wore a quilted gown of fabric stitched around a plush flamingo.
Color is the only limit to the “Color Me” designers’ creativity.
During a typical “Color Me” year, each designer dresses a Goodwill Workforce employee in addition to their handpicked models.
For “Color Me Asheville,” however, instead of modeling, Goodwill representatives will act as ambassadors for their organization. In pre-recorded videos, the Goodwill employees will share their experiences of endurance through the disaster.
“They’re shown in-between each collection, so they’re shown before the designer comes out,” Echeverri explained. “Then the next video will be shown and then that designer comes out and they tell their stories.”
At a “Color Me Goodwill” show, a panel of judges will select a designer as the winner of a $1,000 Judge’s Award, followed by a people’s choice $500 Audience Award.
However, “Color Me Asheville” is eschewing competition this year, instead focusing on promoting BeLoved and the Goodwill Workforce Program.
The “Color Me” shows are a big undertaking. Planning for each one begins months in advance and they wind up as exhausting as exhilarating to put on, Echeverri said.
“By the time I get here, I’m just like, ugh, I can’t wait ’til it’s over. But by show time, I’ll be there crying,” Echeverri smiled. “Then you’re just dying to do it all over again, because you feel so renewed. You just have a hope in community and you feel so connected to everybody. Everybody that I talk to afterwards, and I know people that go every year, they love it. They’re like, it’s the best thing that happens, both nationally and as far as a community event.”
Tickets for “Color Me Asheville” are $25 and can be found here.
For more information, visit www.goodwillnwnc.org/colormeasheville.
Listen to the Asheville Area Focus interview with Color Me Asheville here.