On Apr. 11, 2025, the second annual thrifted fashion show was held alongside the Sort and Save Campaign which launched this semester. Winona State University students, Kennedi Kjellberg and Reagan Roesler, opened the event by singing Royals by Lorde. Alyssa Neistadt, a fourth-year business administration major and one of the organizers of the event, followed with a presentation on fast fashion and its impacts. The night ended with six Winona State students walking the runway and describing their thrifted outfits.
Mirra Swenson, a fourth-year business administration major and another organizer of the event, was interested in the event after attending last year.
“Last year I really enjoyed the fashion show, so I asked Alyssa if I could help her work on It again. I wanted to get more experience with event planning, but I also really liked the idea of it. It was really interesting to learn about thrifted fashion and how clothes can be reused instead of buying more.” Swenson said.
The models showcased outfits consisting of blazers, dress pants, skirts, dresses and other formal wear, most of which were thrifted. Some of the pieces were thrifted from stores in Winona, such as the Goodwill and Salvation Army.
Maizie Brown, a first-year majoring in psychology, was one of the models for the event. Her outfit was made up of layered skirts and sweaters, thrifted from stores in the Twin Cities. She enjoys the community aspect of thrifting, along with the positive environmental impacts.
“It’s cheaper, it’s more accessible, and it gets you in touch with other people who aren’t trying to contribute to fast fashion.” Brown said.
The event was also in collaboration with the Environmental Club and the American Marketing Association. Both clubs have been working together to run the Sort and Save Campaign, which was featured at the fashion show. Sort and Save is a student led campaign that focuses on educating and promoting Winona State students on proper recycling.
“We have a lot of bin contamination, so much of what could be recycled isn’t recycled simply because we are putting things in the wrong bin. Part of that is education and part of that is inspiring people to walk the extra five feet and sort their trash properly. Winona State is one of the greenest colleges in the Minn state system, but the students could do a lot more.” Neistadt said.
The Sort and Save Campaign has hosted a couple events since their establishment this Spring semester. One of which was a poster party, where they hung student designed posters in every academic and residential building on campus. One Winona State student is also producing a mini documentary of the campaign.
“It is up to students to keep these student led movements alive and I do have a lot of faith in the leadership I’ve seen elected already. So I’m excited for them to continue on with the thrifted fashion show, and the sort and save campaign, and any other student organizations, I know they will do great things.” Neistadt said.
Neistadt and Swenson are both graduating in the Spring and wanted to make sure that events like the thrifted fashion show would continue once they’re gone. The Environmental Club and the American Marketing Association have each elected Sort and Save chairs to ensure the Campaign continues.
