Three Texas Christian University fashion merchandising students took their creativity to the runway, displaying their talents and even placing in the competition while working for the greater good at Project Goodwill: A Night of Fashion and Fun. The annual event supports Goodwill and its mission to create opportunities for individuals in the community.

Ahead of the competition, junior Jaylee Van Newkirk showcased her design on Good Morning Texas, offering a preview of the innovative work featured in the show. Her look — crafted from repurposed materials, including soft-sided luggage — highlighted the ingenuity and resourcefulness at the heart of the competition.

Van Newkirk was joined by TCU College of Fine Arts junior Bethany Watson and senior Adelaide Lovett, a double major in psychology. Together, the students transformed materials from Goodwill North Central Texas stores into original, wearable garments, demonstrating both technical skill and creative vision.

Lovett earned second place for her design, which incorporated unconventional materials including a headboard, laundry bag and suitcase — an approach that pushed her creative process in new ways.

“This project further illuminated that circularity within the fashion industry is not just a dream — it can be achieved by hardworking individuals with creative determination to reimagine the existing,” Lovett said. “It was an honor to showcase my work and create something I was proud of.”

Fashion Innovation
Designing with secondhand materials challenged Lovett to rethink her usual approach.

“This experience pushed my boundaries as a designer by forcing me to deconstruct my own creative process,” she said. “In the future, I will allow the materials to speak in tandem with the inspiration.”

For Van Newkirk, the project was both creatively and technically challenging.

“They didn’t behave like normal fabric, so I had to slow down and really figure out how to construct everything in a way that still looked clean and intentional,” she said. “While creating something functional and wearable was definitely challenging, it pushed me in ways I wouldn’t have been able to experience without the competition.”

Project Goodwill challenges aspiring designers to reimagine secondhand items into high-fashion looks, with designs evaluated by a panel of industry judges. The event not only celebrates innovation in fashion but is a fundraiser for Goodwill North Central Texas.

The Potential of Sustainable Fashion
For Lovett, the experience reinforced the real potential of sustainable fashion.

“Through passion, determination and creativity, sustainability in fashion can be more than a slogan,” she said. “It can mean breathing new life into loved items and offering one-of-a-kind pieces to consumers.”

The competition provided all three students the opportunity to showcase their work on a larger stage while exploring the possibilities of design rooted in reuse, innovation and purpose.

-McKenzie Campbell