Get to Know the Treasure City Thrift Fashion Show Designer: Lauren Perdue

Lauren Perdue is currently a hardworking slave to fashion studying fashion design at the University of North Texas in Denton.  The word "slave" is fitting as Lauren calls sewing "something I could not stop doing even if I wanted to".  Ms. Perdue admits in the past she has been a champion quitter, but with sewing, she took on a whole new attitude.  This attitude is what drove her to eventually pursue fashion design full force by going to Denton. She made it into the program this past fall as one of only 38 people accepted.

Unlike many designers, Lauren's interest in designing clothes originally was born out of necessity.  While attending school at the University of Texas in Austin, Lauren became involved in the UT Madrigals.  The Madrigals are a group of students who perform at the Madrigal Dinner every year around Christmas time.  Madrigals involves a singing choir of wenches and footmen, a play with a changing script each year, and a delicious four course feast (if you've never been, I highly recommend it).  Madrigals required Lauren to obtain a costume that a wench would be proud to wear.  Wrought with the task of finding a costume that would fit her figure, Lauren knew she needed to take matters into her own hands.  Containing a full figured woman's chest with just a corset requires some ingenuity.  This was a defining moment for Lauren.  The sewing may have started there but it definitely did not stop there.  Out of necessity bloomed a creative passion for design.


Lauren's interest in sewing and designing started in Austin, and, although she loves her new home in Denton, she still considers Austin to be a town she is connected to.  This Saturday in Austin, Lauren will be showing her designs in only the second fashion show she has ever participated in.  Designing for The Treasure City Thrift Recycled Fashion Show is also the first time Lauren has ever attempted to design using thrifted materials.  The concept for this show is for designers to creatively re-use old or unwanted materials and turn them into new and desirable fashion pieces.  The Treasure City Thrift Recycled Fashion Show is put on by the non-profit Treasure City Thrift Store and iLoveMikeLitt.  The show is only in it's third year, but has quickly become a must see event for the Austin community.

Even though it was a new challenge for Lauren to reconstruct thrifted pieces, she ultimately ended up with a collection that she is very proud of.  Like any good designer, Lauren's recycled collection tells a story.  This story is one that is very personal to the designer.  Inspired by the men in her life, Lauren decided to use "the blue dress shirt" as her design material for her collection.  Every guy has this in his closet.  A blue dress shirt, whether it be a lighter shade, a darker shade, or even one with a slight pattern, is a basic staple for any business man.  Lauren's close relationship to her father and the inspiration she obtained from watching his hard work to provide for her and her family, led to a collection made entirely from "the blue dress shirt".

Perdue dismantled about 30 shirts to make up her 3 - look collection cleverly titled "Business Casualties."  The collection is dedicated to her father, and with Father's Day coming up,  I can't think of a better time for this collection to be making its debut.

Here's a sneak peak of Lauren Perdue's "Business Casulaties":

Model: Megan Radke

You can see the rest of Lauren's collection and several other fabulous designers' work this Saturday at the Treasure City Thrift Recycled Fashion Show.  There is a $5 donation benefiting Treasure City Thrift.

What:

• Treasure City Thrift Recycled Fashion Show

Where:

• Treasure City Thrift store
• 2943 E.12th St.
Austin, TX 78702

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When:

• Saturday June 19th
• 7pm - 9pm
• Runway show at 8pm