Fashion Lab Sedona in Sedona, Arizona, will host its third Sustainable Fashion Show on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 16:30 to 19:00 at Brady Hall at Verde Valley School in the Village of Oak Creek, bringing together more than 20 local designers, makers, boutiques, artists, and community merchants. The finale is a 48-hour upcycled clothing design challenge, with the winning designer receiving the $5,000 FABRIC Incubator Sustainable Fashion Design Award.

Key Points

  • Time and location: October 10, 2026, 16:30–19:00, Brady Hall at Verde Valley School (Village of Oak Creek).
  • Design challenge: Designers use discarded clothing, thrifted pieces, recycled materials, and unused fabric to complete a runway-ready look within 48 hours.
  • Grand prize: The FABRIC Incubator Sustainable Fashion Design Award, a $5,000 prize, contested by more than 20 emerging and established designers.

More Than a Runway: A Community Experiment

According to the organizers, the evening will feature an upcycle fashion runway show, local jewelry designers, perfume blenders, resale and vintage clothing, community booths, raffles, food and drink, VIP experiences, and a special dance performance presented by Sedona Dance Academy inspired by The Devil Wears Prada. Local resale business Closet Concierge and others will also take part. The runway models are all Sedona locals, showcasing the upcycled creations of local designers.

The entire production is produced and directed by Nathan Quinn of By Design Entertainment International, weaving individual creations into a theatrical evening blending fashion, movement, and storytelling.

The 48-Hour Lab and the $5,000 Prize

The runway show is the culmination of weeks of workshops, pop-ups, model auditions, and design experiences, with the centerpiece being the Sedona 48-Hour Fashion Lab "Create-a-Thon." Under the guidance of lead Mary Dancer Browne, participating designers receive discarded clothes, thrift-store finds, recycled materials, and forgotten fabrics, and must turn them into runway-ready pieces within 48 hours. In the end, the work of more than 20 emerging and established designers will share the same runway and compete for the $5,000 FABRIC Incubator Sustainable Fashion Design Award.

Redefining "Waste" as "Possibility"

Fashion Lab Sedona founder Zenka Caro said: "Fashion is one of the most immediate ways we tell the world who we are. We want Sedona to be known as a leader in sustainable fashion." She described the show as "self-expression amplified."

According to the organizers' philosophy, Fashion Lab Sedona does not intend to preach about environmentalism with statistics on waste and pollution, but instead approaches it through desire, beauty, ingenuity, and fun, seeking to prove that a small town can also be a laboratory for the future of fashion. In their view, small communities can drive cultural change by creating models that are interesting enough that people want to take part. The project is positioned around fashion as a "laboratory" to explore sustainability, self-expression, entrepreneurship, and local leadership, and through workshops, design challenges, upcycling events, and an annual fashion show, it invites people to see discarded materials as possibility rather than trash.

How to Take Part

Tickets are on sale at fashionlabsedona.com: general admission is $35 in advance and $50 at the door; VIP tickets are $100 and include preferred seating, priority access to vendors, meet-and-greets with designers and sponsors, champagne, and hors d'oeuvres.

The sustainable fashion show is supported by a range of local and regional organizations, including FABRIC Incubator, the city of Sedona, The Dream Machine, ByDesign Entertainment, Arizona Community Foundation, LightNet, Barrmart Designs, Ultimate Light Mission, Tre Visio Productions, The Closet Concierge, Jones Ford Verde Valley, and other community partners.

Source: Fashion Lab Sedona Takes on Fast Fashion With a Runway Made in Sedona · Originally published 2026-10-07