Iowa City will hold its first Prom ReRun event at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center Social Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m on March 14. Doors will be open for local high school students and community members to select their second-hand prom and formal attire.
While the large selection is full of glamorous dresses and nice suits, it will not cost a penny to leave in style. Each person will be able to take one full outfit home for free. This includes one pair of shoes and a dress or suit.
The event relies on donations from community members. According to Trysten Culler, the recycling project assistant for the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, after 10 days of dress, suit, and formal attire donations, there have been over 300 dresses collected for the giveaway. Many of the dresses came from department and boutique store closings.
Jane Wilch, recycling coordinator for Iowa City, categorizes this event as a “pilot project” for the community. The last time Iowa City held a similar event was 10 years ago.
“So many programs look different post-pandemic,” said Wilch. “It’s been over a decade since we’ve held a similar program, and so we are embracing the learning opportunities as we introduce a similar program.”
A main focus of Prom ReRun is supporting local schools and community members by providing dress attire for those in financial need.
Culler says Prom ReRun also serves as a project to combat the negative effects the fashion industry has on the environment.
“We see a good amount of textile and fashion waste being in landfills each year,” Culler said. “That’s why we created Prom ReRun, especially because a lot of people have items already in their closets and they can just be reused, hemmed up, or altered.”
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According to the UN Environment Programme, there is an estimated 92 million tons of textiles wasted each year globally after being produced.
According to the City of Iowa City official website, items like shoes, dresses, pants, suits, vests, head wraps, scarves, and garment bags are accepted for the event.
Donations were accepted at a variety of locations, including First Presbyterian Church, The Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District, United Action for Youth, Iowa City City Hall, Kindred Coffee, and East Side Recycling Center Environmental Education Center.
Iowa City resident Deborah Beiler came to Iowa City City Hall on March 12 to donate a sparkly pink dress that had been collecting dust in her daughter’s closet. Her daughter had worn the garment once to a wedding and then never again.
“Iowa City is a great community, and this is just another thing that people can do to help each other out,” Beiler said. “It’s good for the environment and good for people who can’t afford some things.”
While Cedar Rapids has a prom dress giveaway called Gown Town, Culler said Prom ReRun serves as a more local option for Iowa City residents to get second-hand dress clothing so they do not have to travel for such attire.
Volunteers can work the pickup on March 14 to assist with checking people into the event, setting up the space, organizing the donations, and cleaning up afterward.
“We are excited to see the post-event data of what we collect and what we can keep out of the landfill,” Culler said.