Project Runway Gets Rethreaded
Survivors at Rethreaded in Jacksonville, Florida work to create a line of accessories inspired by designer, Irina Shabayeva, on Project Runway All Stars Season 7. (Ashlee D. Smith/Southwest Airlines)
Designers in “Unconventional Materials” episode were challenged to create a travel look from recycled onboard and travel materials, and an accessory from upcycled aircraft seat leather, in less than 24 hours. The winning design, plus other favorites from the episode, ultimately inspired a line of leather accessories to be sold by nonprofit and Repurpose with Purpose partner, Rethreaded.
Irina Shabayeva and Carrie Smals find joy in collaborating on a new line of leather accessories at Rethreaded in Jacksonville, FL. (Ashlee D. Smith/Southwest Airlines)
Dorothy Woodard, Production Associate at Rethreaded, shows Irina Shabayeva how she sews a leather key fob.
(Ashlee D. Smith/Southwest Airlines)
Irina Shabayeva, winner of the “Unconventional Materials” Challenge on Project Runway All Stars Season 7, holds the clutch she designed and created for the show. The clutch inspired a line of leather accessories made in partnership with Rethreaded. (Ashlee D. Smith/Southwest Airlines)
Launched in 2013, Repurpose with Purpose is a Southwest initiative that upcycles, downcycles, and recycles discarded material into useful products with the help of partner organizations. The initial phase of Repurpose with Purpose began with the Evolve retrofit program, which replaced Southwest’s leather aircraft seat covers at that time. The latest phase of the program launched in 2017 with the goal of repurposing seat covers and other discarded materials like blankets, life jackets, aircraft engines, and billboards. Since 2017, Repurpose with Purpose has repurposed more than one million pounds of discarded material, reducing the amount of waste Southwest sends to landfills, while also generating social and economic opportunities for communities.
The Employees of Rethreaded, a non-profit women’s empowerment organization that provides employment and care for women who have come out of human trafficking. (Ashlee D. Smith/Southwest Airlines)