MassArt Designers Bring Sustainability to the Runway

Huge congratulations to Second Glance, The Open Door, and our MassArt Fashion Design Certificate alumni on an incredible night of fashion, sustainability, and community!

Written by Shannon Gallagher

MassArt Fashion Design Certificate students and alumni Asia Kepka, Sabra George, Sylvie Djian, and Prachi Mahurkar brought their innovative fashion designs to the stage for The Open Door’s Third Annual Thrift the Runway event this past September, in honor of Hunger Action Month.

The fashion show featured entirely upcycled, ready-to-wear designs, celebrating creative approaches to sustainable style while supporting an important cause. Funds raised benefit local food-assistance programs through The Open Door, a community food resource center and nonprofit organization in Gloucester, Massachusetts, that works to alleviate hunger and build food security.

The Open Door also operates Second Glance, a thrift store that recycled 216 tons of textiles, shoes, and hair goods in 2025 alone. 

Rethinking the resources and materials we use – and finding new possibilities in what might otherwise be discarded – is a shared thread between both The Open Door’s work and the MassArt’s Fashion Design Programs. Sustainability is a cornerstone of the curriculum, where students explore fashion through a lens of responsible design and creative problem-solving.

Thrift the Runway SOLD OUT! Congratulations to all the designers, organizers, models, and everyone who made this unforgettable night possible.

We are so proud to see MassArt designers Asia Kepka, Sabra George, Sylvie Djian, and Prachi Mahurkar, putting sustainability into practice AND raising funds for local food-assistance programs.

event photography from @jasongrowphoto