The Vault — a University of Wisconsin–Madison student organization — is going off-campus for a fashion show that grapples with the fashion industry’s harmful environmental impact.
On April 20, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art will host "Metamorphosis," a show with more than 60 zero-waste designs created by students. Some use secondhand fabrics and upcycling techniques, while others draw inspiration from nature itself, with textiles made from mycelium or a purse made from kombucha SCOBY.
The theme is one that’s near and dear to The Vault’s art director, Veronica Mingle (also the creator of the kombucha purse).
“For every pound of cotton, there’s a gallon of pesticide sprayed on that cotton,” says Mingle. “Most of the clothes in the world are in landfills at this point.”
Mingle grew up thrifting and upcycling clothes. But buying secondhand isn’t just a way to save money: “A lot of vintage stuff are higher-quality materials. So you’re making nicer stuff for way, way cheaper — and keeping it out of the trash,” Mingle says.
It’s not The Vault’s first show (or even its first ambitious theme, with a former show inspired by the Greek epic poem “The Odyssey”), but it is the organization's off-campus debut. With 200 available seats — and standing room for hundreds more — The Vault’s leadership hopes that the show will lead to more community engagement for the student organization.
Above all else, they’re hoping the show will inspire a “waste not, want not” attitude in the audience.
“I feel like the main idea is that you can create outfits out of a lot of stuff that you might overlook,” says Mingle. “I think it’s kind of revolutionary to look at clothing that way.”
"Metamorphosis" (April 20 at 2 p.m.) is free and open to the public.
A community-first club
Undergraduate students Melina Zarboulas and Marlo Pulliam founded The Vault just last year, hoping to create a club where every member — not just the executive board — could get involved in a meaningful way.
“We wanted to make it so anyone can be a leader and anyone can be involved as long as they put in the work,” says Zarboulas.
It’s not just an organization for fashion students and aspiring designers. The club’s roughly 300 members run the gamut of majors and interests. While some students gain experience creating garments, many more get involved through The Vault’s committees (which range from journalism to finance).
“Having different committees helps people explore their personal passions through the club,” says Zarboulas.
“Everyone’s getting a taste of what it’s like to be a designer or be a creative,” adds Mingle.
Anna Kottakis is digital editor at Madison Magazine.
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