GOODWILL NYNJ HOSTS SUSTAINABLE FASHION FUNDRAISER
Attending fashion industry events is always exciting: taking in the glitz and glamour of exquisitely dressed fashionistas never fails to inspire. That said, an event showcasing vintage-inspired creations by top designers made from recycled materials is more than exhilarating. It’s life-enhancing for the many people who benefit from Goodwill services.
Goodwill Industries of Greater NY and Northern NJ (Goodwill NYNJ) hosted its fourth annual Evening of Treasures event on Thursday, May 2, 2024 to celebrate sustainable fashion. Legendary designer June Ambrose hosted the event at 10 Hudson Yards New York. Designers and brands Busayo Olupona, Jack Carlson of Rowing Blazers, Chris Echevarria of Blackstock & Weber, Zero Waste Daniel and Bibhu Mohapatra presented one-of-a kind outfits they upcycled using merchandise donated to Goodwill stores. These outfits are available to be auctioned from May 3rd through the following two weeks. Check them out and bid at the auction site.
Goodwill NYNJ honored David Coquillette with the Visionary Leadership award in recognition of his 20 years of service on Goodwill NYNJ’s Board of Directors. Google received the Corporate Leadership award for its longstanding support of Goodwill’s mission work. Tequila Lamar, NYC Outreach Lead, Education for Social Impact, accepted the award on behalf of Google.
June Ambrose joined the 2024 Goodwill’s Evening of Treasures as Host. June is the designer and creative director who pioneered the visual aesthetic language that came to define hip hop imagery and culture. The role she inhabits within the fashion arena is a result of her own audacious self-making, professional moxie, and an unsurpassed mastery of visual storytelling and creative branding. June brought tremendous experience to the celebration and conversation with the five designers featured in this year’s fashion show. She led a panel discussion about upcycled creations with designers (shown at top, left to right) Bibhu Mohapatra (model), (model), Chris Echevarria, (model), Jack Carlson, (model), June Ambrose, Busayo Olupona, (model), and Zero Waste Daniel (and model).
In 2023, Goodwill NYNJ provided employment services to more than 9,000 people who are under- or unemployed, more than half of them with disabilities. Goodwill NYNJ connects people to jobs outside its stores with employers such as hospitals, health care centers, tech and accounting firms, warehousing and manufacturing sectors, grocery stores, pharmacies, and NYC agencies.
Three examples:
1. Tony is a Queens resident with a developmental disability who came to Goodwill two decades ago seeking help to get a job. Goodwill connected him to a job that he loves at Trader Joe’s.
2. Dunstan, a Bronx resident in his late 30s, came to Goodwill unemployed and without hope for a career beyond ‘odd jobs’. Goodwill provided him training at the Bridge To Tech program, helped him increase his math and literacy skills to qualify for advance tech training, and an understanding of navigating the tech industry. The Goodwill team helped him enhance the soft skills needed to start a new career and learn new IT skills. After receiving his Google IT certification, he secured a job as Asset Manager at Baruch College.
3. David Ponce is a single father who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He had never held a formal job, so then Goodwill team supported him through the process of identifying his skills/interests and applying for jobs, conducting mock interviews to give him confidence for the real thing. When David got a call to interview with American Eagle, Goodwill’s Job Developer accompanied him to the interview and waited outside for moral support. American Eagle was so impressed with David that they hired him on the spot! Employment has given David a steady income, increased confidence, and independence.
Goodwill is the original disruptor. It created one of the first sustainable fashion enterprises nearly 110 years ago. Pollution is a problem in the fashion industry. The council for textile recycling said that more than 70 pounds of textiles per US citizen are going into landfills annually. Goodwill NYNJ’s environmental impact: In 2023, it helped find new homes for more than 37 million pounds of pre-loved clothing and home goods, equivalent to the weight of 83 Statues of Liberty, successfully diverting them from the landfills, and saving nearly 55k metric tons of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere.
Learn more about Goodwill NYNJ at goodwillnynj.org; or follow on Twitter: @GoodwillNYNJ; or Facebook and Instagram @GoodwillNYNJ.