On the 15th of November 2008, Kelly Cox who is a fashion designer herself, took some unsold and unwanted clothing and made them into something new. Then on a Saturday evening the Design Archives store hosted her first fashion show – Nouveau upcycled Vintage.

Below is a series of video clips from the show that night.

Additionally Kelly was featured in the Greensboro News-Record.

A snippet from the article:

“…In Cox’s hands, an entire line of clothing has been revived. What was once relinquished by others – an old quilt, worn pillowcases, outdated men’s dress shirts – are now modern garments that appeal to women her age.

Skirts and dresses were fashioned from pillowcases and vintage buttons. She made a halter top from a man’s dress shirt, circa 1970 . She altered a leotard – who wears those now? -and added fabric from other dresses to create a short dress. Her favorite in the collection is a silky gray, pink and cream striped dress. She added a gathered peplum to the front of it for a layered or tiered skirt effect. Vintage red buttons were added for details.

“It’s very flattering on because it creates an hourglass figure,” the diminutive Cox says.

Take a stroll through Design Archives with her and you’ll start to see outdated clothing differently. Even a dress from the ’80s – one with shoulder pads and sleeves that poof out like lamp shades – can be restructured.

An oversize, cowl-neck purple sweater looks like something Jennifer Beals might have worn over a leotard in the movie “Flashdance.” But it’s a great color – a deep purple, like the children’s character Barney. Cox, who enrolled in UNCG initially as an art major, is attracted to garments with vivid colors.

If the sweater were taken in to better fit the female figure, it would be more updated. Remove the sleeves and shorten it, and it could be a vest.

“I really like clothing, and I really feel like there’s something interesting about vintage because (of) its history,” Cox says.

The older a garment, the more imperfect its condition. But that’s part of its appeal, Cox says. Worn fabric, tiny holes and sun stains don’t deter her. She can hide or cover the holes. Sometimes a discoloration can add an interesting pattern to a garment.

“I kind of feel like the people who are going to buy this stuff are going to have an appreciation for vintage stuff,” Cox says.

Design Archives is a giant treasure chest for someone like her. She became a store regular through friends. “We would go, and we would spend hours and hours literally trying on everything,” she says.

Cox’s mother taught her to sew and encouraged her interest in fashion. But it was Design Archives owner Kit Rodenbough who is responsible for her foray into upcycled vintagewear.
Rodenbough, a lifelong vintage-clothing collector, says Cox reminds her of herself at that age. In fact, Cox was just hired to design children’s wear for Bonaventure, a company Rodenbough worked for about 30 years ago.

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