Photo by Jessica Medrano, Instagram is @ninety5_directed
Style with a Cause: Highlights from The 2025 Catwalk for Charity
“Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.” -Horst Rechelbacher, Founder
We all know of the everyday methods of environmental leadership, reducing waste, recycling materials, and reusing products as much as possible. Wethers it is that reusable water bottle you tote around, or you have attempted a Zero Garbage Challenge, we are more aware than ever of the importance of small actions to protect our planet. Who said though that Environmentalism had to be all challenging work and no fun? At The Institute of Beauty and Wellness and The Aveda Institute Chicago, we are putting the fun back into fundraising.
This April marks the 10th year that IBW is celebrating earth month with a full month of fundraising, prizes, gifts, and parties. The crown jewel of the festivities being the Catwalk for Clean Water that takes place at all three of our campuses. All month long, any proceeds made through spin to win, tipping students, or purchasing tickets to our events has been 100% donated to our partner charity: Charity Water.
Creativity on Display – The Recycled Fashion Showcase
What would you make if you had one month to make an Avant Garde garment? What would you do if you were limited to using only recyclable materials? That is the task that our students took on with excited abandon. Starting in mid-March, Institute students have taken sustainable fashion to new heights by creating stunning looks from recycled materials. They scour junkyards and collection bins for unique objects to incorporate into their designs, resulting in a fashion experience like no other. These ensembles are judged by industry professionals, with the winning team receiving a $1,000 scholarship.
The rules are simple: create a single look, including hair, makeup, and outfit, constructed purely from materials destined for the dump. The students really flexed their creativity by crafting garments from a wide variety of complex materials like old Barbie dolls, Aveda Full Spectrum Permanent Hair Color boxes, and colored pencils. Many of which were a delight and awe to the audience members who would break out into cheers as they watched events like a model extending fully articulated dragon wings that was handcrafted out of scrap paper.
Do not take our word for it, watch the videos below and see for yourself.
Hair, Makeup & Sustainable Glam
Inspiration could come from anywhere. Like for full- time Esthiology Student Gabriella Dokic, who took influence from her grandfather’s love for card games. Taking a deck of cards, he gave her the chance to create her two-piece black, white, and red garment with a corset covered in cards. Then there is Alexis Thomsen a Cosmetology student who looked around her Chicago campus and saw just how many single used plastic cups from Stan’s Doughnuts and Starbucks and saw a ready source of materials that she could use as well as a chance to share vital facts like the high volume of plastics that hit our trash heaps every year.
The theme of coffee consumption carried over to Cassidy and Emma, two full time Cosmetology students, who took old Cold brew shipping bags from her part time job at Starbucks. She crocheted them into a stunning corset and skirt combo to create a high-fashion, 80’s power woman looks, in the vein of Tina Turner’s Thunderdome costume. Then there is Alexandra, Cosmetology, who took Aveda at their word and sourced old posters and marketing materials used in retail shops, accordion folding them, to craft a decadent 1950s inspired ball gown.
A look is not complete without the right hair and makeup, and simple brushes of blush will not be enough to capture the energy of their fashion creations. That is where the students get to highlight the skills they have been studying for the last few months. As Cosmetology and Esthiology students, they have been honing their abilities to tackle this portion of the fashion world.
No detail was overlooked, from perfectly quaffed updos to stunning nail art made by Vicky, Cosmetology, who melted and stretched used milk cartons into vibrant flowers to adorn her model’s fingers.
From the Runway to the World – The Cause Behind the Catwalk
So, who is Charity Water?
703 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water. For the people at Charity Water, and their donors, one person without access is too many. Founded in 2006, they have made it their mission to reduce that number to zero by providing money and support for hand-dug wells, piping systems, water purification systems, rainwater catchments, and public sanitation to ensure ever person has access to easily accessible clean water.
This is not like other Charities, throwing money at the problem and forcing solutions in communities that cannot sustain them, Charity Water’s pivotal improvement is their expansive network of Local Partners. When they highlight an area in need of water, they first find a carefully chosen local partner, someone who knows the people, area, and history better than them, to consult on the best methods of water production for the area. And with the 100% method, a promise the 100% of public donations go directly into these sustainable clean water projects, meaning that they have already been able to help 20 million people (about the population of New York) to date. You can learn more about their amazing work here.
Thank you to all our students for participating this year, not only as designers but also as models and behind the scenes, decorating the venue, running raffles, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Biggest thanks too, to all our guests and clients this month whose donations, ticket purchases and service tips helped us provide such a generous donation to Charity Water.
