Kennedy Kullman has always loved fashion and expressing herself. She doesn’t know when her first love of the fashion industry began, but  she figured it started fresh out of the womb in a little Nordstrom jumper. Because of her love of fashion, Kullman decided to put together a fashion show for her senior project this past Tuesday, October 23rd at 6pm at Jackson Campus.

“I've heard of other schools doing fashion shows. I've always been bummed that our school doesn't have one so I figured I might as well do it myself and maybe start a tradition!” said Kullman.

The purpose of the fashion show was to encourage the public to go green by re-wearing used clothes, save some cash by shopping at thrift stores and look good doing it. All the looks were pieced together and altered, coming from thrift stores such as Salvation Army, Value Village and Goodwill.

The show had free sweet treats, coffee and a photo booth. Kullman charged a three-dollar admission fee at the door. Nonetheless, there were roughly 80 attendees.

All the profits from the night went directly into the Goodwill Foundation. “It only makes sense because Goodwill does so much cool stuff. There was a good amount of money to be given back,” said Kullman.

If the audience truly loved an outfit, they had the option to purchase it. At the end of the show, there was a silent bid for all the outfits. The only thing not for sale, and vaguely stood out amongst the thrifty outfits, were the model’s shoes. All the girls had on trendy, modern shoes such as Jeffrey Campbells, which can cost up to $200.
 
Kullman wanted to show her audience why it’s so fun to go to a local thrift store, find something dirty and make something fabulous. Parent Gina Simpson said, “It was an awesome show with very creative outfits. I’ve definitely seen items like this in thrift stores and it was cool to see them on a stage.”

Even boys like Enrique Solana, who has taken many fashion and design classes, enjoyed the show. Solana was really interested to see what Kullman could find and do with the clothes. He said, “The show was great and the outfits were well put together with great entertainment.”

Surprisingly, about 25% of Kullman’s closet is from thrift stores. And unsurprisingly the majority of her audience was broke teenagers who like to be frugal and spiffy as well.

Becky Ross, a previous contestant on Project Runway, also attended the show after meeting Kullman in line at Portland Fashion Week. She too shops at thrift stores all the time and thought the outfits were great. Ross has discussed with Kullman the possibility of her becoming an intern.

Senior Cynthia Russell said, “The show was good, but I would never wear the clothes because of the type of outlandish fashion, and it was all the same. I would have liked to have seen a variety of girls with different shapes, sizes and colors.”

Kullman had an array of friends who volunteered to be her models: Jaime Goff, Summer Pilcher, Emily Pellatz, Jena Kohl, Jamie Weisser, Breanne Johnston and Amber Fifield. Between intermissions the Break Dance team performed.

Afterwards, Kullman said, “I don't think I have ever felt so satisfied. My whole drive home I was smiling and singing. It was more  than I expected it to be. I couldn't have imagined it better. As far as my future goes, I'm planning on attending the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles in the fall and majoring in Apparel Product Development. I've heard they have some fantastic vintage thrifting there.”