Event spotlights sustainable fashion exhibit created by Ball State students
INDIANAPOLIS (April 22, 2025) – It was a fashion reveal today at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) where the Recycled Runway event took the spotlight in Civic Plaza to honor Earth Day and celebrate Indy Design Week.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority hosted the event in partnership with Ball State University’s Fashion Industry Studies program, showcasing the innovative and creative talent of nine students featuring 13 designs. The students—Breanna Beck, Johnna Dedina, Aynsley Haugk, Emily Hayes, Miya Penn, Patrick Phillips, Ella Preboy, Ivy Summerlot and Henry Walker—transformed donated clothing and material into new and inspiring fashions, and those fashions are on display in a special exhibit at the Indy airport until April 26.
“Today’s event pulled it all together,” said IAA Executive Director Mario Rodriguez. “It was a celebration of innovation and ingenuity that meets sustainability, coupled with community partnership that supports and promotes the growth of our creative economy here in Central Indiana. It was truly a testament to how creativity and collaboration can drive environmentally conscious solutions and create career opportunities in the process.”
The event, which also coincided with Indy Design Week, included a fireside chat with Ball State student designers hosted by Polina Osherov, executive director of Pattern, Inc.
“Indiana has a $10 billion creative economy that is ripe for growth, and programs like Ball State’s Fashion Industry Studies is building a workforce for Indiana, a workforce where geeks and artist work together to produce innovations,” said Osherov, who has worked as a tireless champion to grow Indiana’s creative economy. “And when we combine the affordability of doing business in Indiana with a skilled and creative workforce, we attract not only domestic economic interest from throughout the U.S. but global opportunity as well.”
The students’ conversation with Osherov explored sustainable fashion and its looks, textile recycling and design.
“Creating sustainable fashion isn’t about being perfect- it’s about being intentional,” said Emily Hayes, Ball State student and teaching assistant. We don’t always have access to every material we need right away because sourcing responsibly takes time. But that’s part of the process. Sustainable design requires adaptability in creation and finding ways to make use of what we already have. It’s a challenge, but it pushes us to be more creative and mindful with every piece we make.”
The students were guided in their sustainable fashion innovations by Ball State Professor and Assistant Lecturer of Fashion Industry Studies Audrey Robbins and Teaching Assistants Jakota Fischer and Hayes. Ball State’s Fashion Industry Studies program prepares students for fulfilling career roles in fashion, such as stylist, buyer, visual merchandiser, fashion forecaster, product developer, pattern maker, sample maker and fashion consultant.
“In today’s fashion landscape, we need to reimagine waste as opportunity,” said Robbins. “By teaching students the art and science of upcycling and recycling fashion pieces, we’re challenging the traditional make-take-dispose model that has dominated our industry for too long. Beyond sustainability, this project equips students with practical, forward-thinking design skills that will carry them into the future—whether they pursue careers as designers, stylists, merchandisers, or entrepreneurs. They’re learning how to innovate within real-world constraints, and that kind of creativity is exactly what’s needed in a rapidly evolving, global fashion economy.”
