Color Me Asheville Fashion Show Raises More Than $20,000 for BeLoved Asheville

Color Me Asheville by Goodwill: A Celebration of Healing and Community, held April 4 at The Orange Peel, raised more than $20,000 for BeLoved Asheville.

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina began holding the upcycled fashion show (normally called Color Me Goodwill) in 2015. This year, Goodwill converted the event to a benefit for BeLoved Asheville, a longtime community partner.

The event raised a total of $20,122.51, which included all proceeds from in-person and livestreaming tickets, online donations, and a $5,000 matching gift from Goodwill. At the end of the show, Goodwill presented an honorary check to Ponkho Bermejo and Amy Cantrell, co-directors of BeLoved Asheville.

“The one thing that Helene showed us was our true colors,” said Cantrell at the check presentation. “I am blown away. And if this (Color Me Asheville) is an image of our true colors, then no matter what is happening in the world right now we are going to be okay.”

A highlight of the event was the fashion show featuring collections made by local design teams using repurposed items found at Goodwill. The lineup included several past winners of the show’s first prize and audience awards. Each design team selected a color on which to base their collection and received $200 to shop at Goodwill for materials.

The Color Me Asheville design teams were:

• House of Sconiers
• Stina Andersen
• Valentina da Costa
• The Three Graces
• McKinney Gough Design
• MPP McFabricators
• Sheila Thibodeaux

Goodwill President & CEO Barbara Maida-Stolle said that using the event to support the work of BeLoved Asheville was a natural choice. “It was important for our community that we bring back this event, but like so many things post-Hurricane Helene, we knew that it would need to look a little different this year,” she said. “BeLoved Asheville has set a powerful example of how to make a direct impact through building community, and we are proud to stand alongside of them.”

The event also featured video interviews with the seven design teams, Goodwill retail team members, and the managers of Goodwill’s employment and workforce development programs that serve the Asheville area. The videos offered reflections on how the community has demonstrated resilience and strength during and after the storm.

“I’m so fortunate to work for an organization that encouraged (volunteering),” said Goodwill’s Skills Training Program Manager Jody Stevenson, sharing how the team at the Goodwill Asheville Workforce Development Center volunteered after the storm with ABCCM and other organizations. “The one thing I kept hearing was how resilient this community is, and how much we came together as a community. That really impacted me. It made me feel that calling Asheville home is something I can be proud of.”

To learn more about BeLoved Asheville, visit www.belovedasheville.com.