Replay Runway '22 a resounding success
Sep. 15—Kimberly Kimbler had a unique strategy to be crowned the winner of reTHink's cheeky fashion show, Replay Runway: Wipe out the competition with toilet paper.
Kimbler, the president of TREES, Inc., accessorized her outfit tailored from recycled objects with rolls of the bamboo toilet paper that reTHink's zero-waste store offers for sale. To raise a little extra money, she peddled the paper herself — those in attendance who gave her donations received a roll of the bathroom basic.
After winning, she admitted that trading toilet paper for cash was akin to her offering bribes.
"I was — I was passing out toilet paper for donations," Kimbler said with a laugh. "My outfit is composed of all the laminated pieces of the toilet paper. The reason is, I want to save trees. So that's my purpose — I want more people to use bamboo toilet paper. If they knew of the chemicals in their toilet paper [they would]."
Kimbler raised more than $11,000 for the environmental nonprofit. Ross DuVall of Novelis, a longtime contributor to reTHink, raised more than $10,000.
To win, she had to squeak by with some last-second gifts, Kimbler said; a lot of thumb action came in handy, as well.
"It was the last couple of donations — they were corporate sponsors; it really kind of blew me away," Kimbler said. "I have 2,000 people or more in my cell phone. And I texted every single one of them. So there were probably 89 people who donated. I was really excited."
Terre Haute City Councilwoman Martha Crossen's 6-year-old granddaughter, Harriet Howard, and Harriet's close friend, 5-year-old Cassia Yost, won the Judges Award for their presentation, as chosen by the Sisters of Providence's Sister Barbara Battista, Friends of Rea Park president Mike Harding and thyssenkrupp Presta North America's Ashley Cesinger.
Crossen crafted her granddaughter's costume, though Harriet had plenty of ideas for it — she thought up lacing together aluminum can pull tabs across her chest. "She told me how she wanted them to look," Crossen said.
After the show Saturday evening, Harriet seemed more preoccupied with a box of bubble gum she had been given for participating. But asked which was better, the bubble gum or the Judges Award, she promptly exclaimed "Judges Award!" with a happy skip.
Indiana State University's Amanda Lubold, who strove successfully to present herself as a spectacle, was runner-up for the Judges Award.
Abigail Leigh Clouse of the Swope Museum also fashioned a striking outfit employing metal accessories, but given she had studied sculpture at ISU, that was hardly surprising.
"I did metal sculpture and metal fabrication as my concentration at Indiana State, and I used my knowledge from those classes to do an upcycling metalwork outfit," Clouse said. "I took apart a bunch of different lawn ornaments and coat hangers and coat holders and I took a bunch of things apart and welded them together to make a pretty outfit with a harsh line. I tried to make it a soft, natural outfit made of all these hard, rugged materials."
Other noteworthy outfits came from Phoenix Elite owner Morgan Wilson, who recycled gym equipment and yoga mats, and WTHI meteorologist Kevin Orput, who dressed as the superhero Captain Recycle.
Other participants were Terre Haute Savings Bank's Alexandrea Morin, 12 Points Creators Market organizer Brenna Deal, Kasey Chew from the Vigo County School Corporation, Monica Nowling Mundell of Young Living Essential Oils and registered health information technician Zac Chambers.
David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.
