Discarded to Divine

Allow me to re-introduce you to a wonderful San Francisco benefit event that is near and dear to my heart: Discarded to Divine.

Discarded to Divine is a charitable event that showcases the talents of both professional and aspiring designers who transform discarded, donated clothing into one-of-a-kind couture creations and exquisite home décor. These pieces are then auctioned to benefit those overcoming poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. I recently watched this video by Red Carpet Bay Area, and thought how Discarded to Divine is truly a rags to riches story. Not only do we take physical rags and reconstruct them into items of rich regalia, we use the cast-off clothing to generate real riches to benefit people without their own resources; people discarded from society.

Baile de Oro: Mary Hall Patrone, Back Stitch Embroidery

 
Not only that, the concept is so green! Every item in the auction had a previous life, functioning as something else. We take material that already exists and create something with a sum greater than it’s parts.

Tea at Twilight Gown: Cari Borja

 
And it’s fashion! I’m always amazed at how such beautiful pieces can be created from cast-off clothing (and other textiles). The items themselves are amazing, and then when you realize where they came from, it’s a testament to the creativity and talent of our designers. It’s fashion, and it’s fun! My sister came with me last year and we had a blast at the live auction. It was so wild, the energy was infectious, and it was all for a great cause.

Tablecloth Dress: Wesley Ito, 78RPM

Discarded to Divine takes place at 6:30pm Thursday, April 28 at the Hall at St. Mary’s Cathedral (1111 Gough Street), with a cocktail reception and silent auction until 8:00pm when the runway live auction begins. In addition to the main event we have a FREE preview at the de Young Museum taking place at 6:00pm Friday, April 15 (this friday!). For more information please check out the Discarded to Divine website, Facebook or Twitter. You can purchase tickets here.

See you there!

*All photos by Gabriel Harber, Harber Photography.