60 area designers will be showcasing their work later this month at an annual fundraiser that combines the art of fashion design with the creative use of donated fabric.

The 10th Annual Runway Repurposed will be held on Sunday, February 25th at 1pm at Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton. It’s being hosted by Grassroots Arts Initiative, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to supporting the arts and individual artists of all mediums. There are five competition categories: Young Beginner; Student; Adult; Avant Garde and Advanced. All category winners will receive a cash prize and a trophy designed by local artists.

Contestant designs are critiqued by a panel of judges. The 2018 judges are Maddie May Kroll, a former Runway Repurposed 1st place winner and currently a New York fashion designer; Toni Davidson, owner of the Fashion Factory in Mt. Clemens; Lori Dodds, artist and former Runway Repurposed 1st place winner; Barbie Weisserman, adjunct professor at Oakland Community College; Laura Bremer, artist and Detroit fashion designer; Shannon Taylor Jafari, fashion designer for B.B. Dakota in Los Angeles; culinary expert Renee Chodkowski, aka the Great Foodini; Mary Ann McCray, owner of Le Boutique Upscale Resale, Howell; Ashley Hahn, student of fashion design at Kent State, Ohio, and former Runway Repurposed contestant winner; and Jenna Kator, of The Jenna Kator Collection in Livonia.

Tickets for the event, which is sponsored by First National Bank of Howell, are available through the link below or at Bink & Babs, Brighton; J.J. Jinkelheimer, Howell; and Finding Roots, Howell. Ticket price is $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the door. Proceeds from the event provide scholarships for students of all ages in a variety of art disciplines. (JK)