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Students Create Upcycled Gowns for Event Featuring Celeb Wedding Planner David Tutera

Fashion Design students from The Art Institute of Houston had an exciting opportunity to upcycle gowns for a wedding event featuring celebrity wedding planner David Tutera, host of “My Fair Wedding with David Tutera” and “David Tutera's CELEBrations.” The event, “Your Wedding Experience Featuring David Tutera,” tours nationwide and helps future brides and grooms to plan for their big day.

The Houston show’s runway event featured six upcycled dresses created by Fashion Design students at The Art Institute of Houston. Upcycling involves repurposing old garments to create a new, modern design and has become a huge sensation on sites like Pinterest. They were given three wedding dresses to work with, donated by community partner Magpie's & Peacocks. Three additional dresses were made from the actual event invitations.

The upcycling projects were part of Marina Saba’s Concept Development class. Saba, who teaches Fashion Design at The Art Institute of Houston, enjoyed the opportunity to bring a new experience to her students while supporting the eco-friendly concept of recycling materials. The students completed the task in just two class periods.

Each participating student is working toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from The Art Institute of Houston. Kim Nguyen and Ebony McCan made individual dresses outside of the classroom, while four teams created their own upcycled gowns:

• Team 1: Megan Beck; Terrel Boudreax; Shi’ana Roberts; Melanie Green-Harris
• Team 2: Ijeoma Odumodi; Kemi Thompson; Wilbert Brinkley; Ayes Pena
• Team 3: Gabriela Mendiola; Samantha Walker; Shronda Hayes; Deangela Jones
• Team 4: Kelli McKinley; Shelena Shulterbrandt; Ramsee Goudeau

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