Upcycled Jacket Designs from Edessa School of Fashion x Goodwill

Designed With Purpose

What happens when you hand a group of creative teens a thrifted jacket and a week to transform it? You get bold, unexpected and seriously impressive designs. The Fashion Forward: Spring Break Tour—a collaboration between Edessa School of Fashion and Goodwill—gave high school students the chance to explore fashion as self-expression, skill-building and career inspiration. Guided by a team of dedicated mentors, these students turned donated denim into one-of-a-kind works of wearable art. Each design tells a story—and so do the people behind them.

Nyleah Ascilla James

Nyleah Ascilla James (aka QueenGreen) created Pretty Denim—a dreamy, Marie Antoinette–inspired jacket turned fashion fantasy. With lace, bows and a built-in skirt, it’s soft and bold at once. “Strong but sweet,” she calls it. Her design proves that secondhand style can be couture-level creative.

Maya Luz Garcia

Maya Luz Garcia’s Dark Metal draws from Dior wax denim and Japanese streetwear, transforming a thrifted jacket with zippers, vinyl and hand-painted details. “Making what you love come true is a beautiful experience,” she says—and Dark Metal does just that.

Manny Stark

Manny Stark’s Step Team Global remix blends racing jackets and expedition gear into one sleek, reworked half-zip. With vinyl sleeves, quilted lining and custom-cut patches, it’s all about impact. His message? “It’s not what you wear—it’s how you wear it.”

Jayvonte Wingard

Jayvonte Wingard let creativity take the lead with Spiral, cutting, painting and reconstructing his thrifted jacket with pure instinct. “Just put a little jiggle in it,” he says. His piece is a vibe—playful, personal and powered by flow.

Elijah Lee-Plears

Elijah Lee-Plears created Greed, the first of a seven-part concept inspired by the deadly sins. Infusing traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern streetwear, his design uses vinyl, paint and layered textures to prove that art—and fashion—can connect generations.

Elise Grosenick

Elise Grosenick’s Girly Pop is cropped, bedazzled and asymmetrical by design—highlighting a bold geometric sleeve she’s dreamed of painting for years. “Fun and challenging are the same thing if you embrace the struggle,” she says. The result? Fierce and unforgettable.

Nylah Otis

Nylah Otis brought grace and glam to the Fashion Forward showcase with City Elegance, a jacket transformed with heat-pressed florals, pearls, and a custom ribbon belt. Inspired by beauty, vintage finds, and her love of accessories, Nylah proved that “elegance is what you make it.” Her favorite part? Starting over and getting it right—because sometimes, that’s when the magic happens.

TEACHERS

Darla Honeycutt

Fashion marketing student and founder of FashioNation EDU, Darla Honeycutt blends mentorship and creativity to guide young people through hands-on design. As a Fashion Forward facilitator, she brought warmth, wisdom and a deep belief in the power of self-expression.

Lynne R. Dixon-Speller

Founder and academic dean of Edessa, Lynne R. Dixon-Speller is a lifelong educator and designer whose leadership shaped the Fashion Forward program. With garments in the Smithsonian and a legacy rooted in access and empowerment, her impact continues to ripple through every stitch.

Christina Lopez-Prado

As Edessa’s Director of Operations and founder of Casita Prado, Christina Lopez-Prado brings fashion and purpose together—connecting youth with creative career paths through culture, sustainability and design. Her work on Fashion Forward made inspiration tangible.

Theresa Dougar

After a career in healthcare, Theresa Dougar pursued her dream of fashion design at 56—and now mentors others as Edessa’s Sewing Lab Manager. Her story is proof that creativity has no age limit and it’s never too late to start stitching something new.