Opera Carolina debuts recycled runway show at Paris Fashion Week

Opera Carolina, a professional opera company in Charlotte, North Carolina, will travel to Paris to present “Opera Recycles,” an eco-couture fashion show at Paris Fashion Week March 4 at the InterContinental Paris - Le Grand.

Opera Carolina launched a new recycling initiative, Opera Recycles, in 2015 to promote environmental awareness by creating couture fashion using recycled printed materials. More than 36,000 pieces of marketing materials, such as old playbills and postcards, have been used to create couture gowns and fashionable statement pieces.

The program is a part of Opera Carolina’s initiative to encourage sustainability efforts among the community. While some sustainable designers aim to recycle traditional material used to produce clothing, Opera Recycles takes a creative approach to promoting sustainability by using old printed materials.

“This has exceeded my expectations,” Opera Carolina’s marketing director Megan Miller says. “Not only has this initiative helped promote the importance of sustainability and environmental conservation, but we also showcase our local models and designers to bring a piece of Charlotte" to Paris.

Opera Carolina will show eight recycled dresses created by six local designers: Lyndsee Hairston, Malou Tabada Cordery, Sarah Danee, Itala Flores, Rocio Llusca and Edelweiss De Guzman.

Last year, Opera Recycles participated in New York Fashion Week, featuring a dress designed by Garbage Gone Glam. The company was invited back to New York Fashion Week this year to produce its own show and feature its entire collection during Couture Week.