CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Every designer dreams of going to New York Fashion Week and a handful of Charlotte designers will be there after creating dresses out of paper.
And get this – it’s all because of Opera Carolina.
What’s the deal?
They are walking a makeshift runway – getting ready to walk the ultimate runway – at New York Fashion Week.
“We’re gonna be in Times Square," said Megan Miller, the marketing director of Opera Carolina. "It’s the mecca.
"For us, it allows Charlotte to get our voice out there," she added.
The organization is getting their voice out there in a totally unique way. Because get this: these dresses are made of paper.
And the reaction has been incredible.
“Unreal," Miller said. "People don’t even know what these dresses are until they get up close."
It’s all part of a design called "Opera Recycles." Miller came up with the idea after seeing all the paper the opera wasted.
“Ton of paper," she said. "So I thought, 'How could I take all this paper and make something new out of it? Playbills, brochures, postcards.'”
Sarah Danee designed one of the dresses and can’t believe her work is about to debut in Times Square.
“To have our work on the runway is incredibly exciting,” Danee said.
It all happened after the organizers of New York Fashion Week saw the Opera Recycles dresses and fell in love.
“For us to go out to New York, bring local models and designers (and) our local initiative, it’s the pinnacle of this project,” Miller said.
That is something to sing about.