Sold-Out Crowd Celebrates 8th Annual Color Me Goodwill Fashion Show on April 19

The popular Color Me Goodwill upcycled fashion show returned on Friday, April 19, before a sold-out audience at The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville.

Seven local fashion design teams competed in the 8th Annual Color Me Goodwill show, presenting color-inspired runway collections made from repurposed clothing and items found at Goodwill stores. Each collection included a model who has participated in one of Goodwill’s employment and training programs.

For only the second time in the show’s history, the same collection won both the first prize awarded by a panel of expert judges and the Audience Choice award: the Pink Collection by Sheila Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux’s Dolly Parton-inspired collection took home $1,000 for first place and $500 for the Audience Choice award.

Thibodeau worked with Adrienne Davis, the assistant store manager at the Goodwill Outlet Store in Asheville. Davis was referred to Goodwill by FIRST at Blue Ridge after he was released from being incarcerated for four years. Through Project Re-entry and the EDGE paid work experience program, Davis was hired at the Outlet and steadily promoted. At Color Me Goodwill, Davis shared how he has been able to attain permanent housing and get a driver’s license.

In the video introducing her collection, Thibodeaux called Davis “the perfect example” of an individual who uses Goodwill’s services to turn around their lives. “He explained to me about his past and I just realized I was looking at somebody who had actually done it,” she said. “He had gone from having terrible circumstances, and then really rose up through the programs that were available to him through Goodwill. He’s a shining example of how somebody can really fix their lives.”

Thibodeaux, owner of Sugar Britches in Asheville, was participating in Color Me Goodwill for the third time. In 2022, she was part of the Sugar Britches Gold Collection team, and last year she assisted with Rosanne Capone’s Purple Collection – both of which also won the Audience Choice Award.

The designers and teams for the 8th annual Color Me Goodwill show were:

• Sheila Thibodeaux – Pink Collection, First Place Winner and Audience Choice Award
• Mae Reilly Fae – Red Collection
• House of Sconiers – Blue Collection
• Joslyn Werner – Brown Collection
• Neil Rostick – Green Collection
• Sybil Todd – Orange Collection
• MPP McFabricators – Purple Collection

The first prize winner was determined by a panel of expert judges who scored the collections’ originality, construction of garments, creative use of materials and overall cohesiveness. This year’s Color Me Goodwill judges were:

• Charles Josef, the owner and designer at Charles Josef Bridal and Charles Josef Swimwear in Asheville
• Danielle Chaboudy, award-winning costume designer and owner of Enchanted Forest consignment boutique
• Lauren Rivas, a local actor, model, makeup artist and creative director the event company Asheville Plays
• Susan Sertain, owner of Studio Vonceil and member of the design team Th3 Graces, which won Color Me Goodwill (2022) and best in category at ACT Costume Drama (2019)

The next edition of Color Me Goodwill is set for April 4, 2025, at the Orange Peel. Applications for designers are expected to open in October. Visit www.colormegoodwill.org for updates and information about ticket sales.