Dream Dumpster Dive
Words by Hayden Oldham (@haydenoldh4m)
As if the walls of Thorsen weren’t already layered with stories to tell, the Sigma Phi chapter house was the stage for Garb’s first runway of the Spring 2026 semester: the Garb-age runway.
The theme, Garb-age, was first cultivated as a way to cut on waste and salvage unused materials, and now serves as one of Garb’s most iconic events—a way for creatives to make artistic, social, and political statements in a reinvented medium: clothing.
Watching the runway is one experience, but stepping into the minds of the creators behind the avant-garde designs reveals an entirely different story. So if you spent this past Friday the 13th anywhere but front row—perhaps tempting fate by walking under a ladder or imagining a sky filled with black ravens—consider this your invitation to enter the complex world that took over the woody walls of Thorsen as a way to dispel every lingering bad omen.
The Ultimate Temptation:
Wrapped in lace and pearls, Maggie Ruan’s design was nothing short of an embodiment of female empowerment and promiscuity. The design itself, inspired by Garb’s spring 2026 semester theme, Garden of Eden, drew from the biblical ancestry of temptation: the apple.
photo by Gabriel Chakmakchi (@shotbygooba)
“I wanted to make her the ultimate temptation,” Ruan said. “As humanity has progressed, I feel like we're more drawn to superficial things, like pearls, and lace—lingerie. So I wanted to combine all of that, having the look serve as a time capsule for every single manifestation of temptation.”
Beyond simply being successful in its execution, Ruan’s design was thoughtful; she didn’t paint her model to be the object of temptation, but rather the subject of reclaiming what is conventionally geared towards men.
“For this piece, I wanted 'desire' to make the person wearing it feel empowered,” Ruan said.
photo by Gabriel Chakmakchi (@shotbygooba)
Ruan’s model, Thalia White, was the perfect candidate for this piece. The makeup was unconventional—bold blush, orange eyeshadow, thick singular lashes—it created a perplexity of both beauty and mystery. The most eye-catching part of the look were the bruised, diamond-shaped, faux tattoos that covered White’s body. Ruan even admitted that they were a last-minute call; however, once they were on, she couldn’t imagine the look without them.
“Tattoos are like you,” Ruan said. “It's when you believe in something so much that you want it in your skin. So, for something like temptation and desire to be almost embedded within her.”
When talking with Thalia White, she pointed out that the lace and pearls draped around her weren’t inadvertent. Tangled around her arms and waist, they served both as tools of restriction and as symbols of desire’s binding power. However, though binding, White had no struggle embodying a liberating womanly energy on the runway. Using props and alluring facial expressions to the camera, much of Ruan’s message was carried through her model’s delivery.
Rewearing on Repeat:
Before coming to the runway, I knew I had to talk to the designer of all designers, Brooke Blacklidge. Not only was she the mind behind the madness—organizing the venue, models, and designers—she showed off a piece of her own. To see her designs is to love her designs, and this runway was no different. Her piece, a mosaic of gingham and plaid button-downs, was reconstructed into what she referred to as a 'Chopova Lowena-esque' dress.
photo by Lucy Blanchard (@lucyeva.photos)
“Resourcefulness was truly the catalyst for this look,” Blacklidge said.
The piece, built completely off materials from last semester’s Garb-age runway, embodied exactly what "garbage" means to Blacklidge—reworn.
“I want viewers to know that it's okay to wear things more than once [...] if you buy something, you like it, so you should wear it,” Blacklidge said.
With social media and the engrossing age of consumerism, Blackidge’s piece is timelessly relevant. As a proud outfit repeater herself, her goal was to break the unsustainable negative stigma of wearing something multiple times.
photo by Aden Guitérrez (@disciplinarianism)
Thus, with this piece, it was all about reinventing what was already there. The dress itself, built from button-ups from the thrift store—a commonly overstocked item—was unrecognizable once on her model, Amelia Daisa. The corseted top and drop-waist skirt were flawless—no seam was left unattended, allowing the dress to be a sturdy, life-long piece.
“I'm passionate about making things that can be worn again,” Blacklidge said. “Both of those pieces are something I would wear or have a friend wear, and I want everything that I make to be used time and time again.”
The Voice of Fashion:
The designs in this runway went beyond internal messages, and Emma Ngo’s design was a prime example of the political power within fashion. Modeled and designed by herself, her piece featured a ball gown covered in black pins with white text stating “FUCK ICE”.
photo by Katherine Ge (@flashedbykath)
“I wasn't planning on designing for this runway, but with everything going on in the world and especially America, I was kind of not having the best time [...] So I made just a bunch of pins for me and my roommates, " Ngo said. “But then we were thinking about it, and we were like, wouldn't it be cool if we pinned them on a dress?”
But the Ngo’s piece didn’t end there. Each pin was made available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting immigrant relief programs that provide legal protection and support services for immigrant communities.
“I feel like, as creative people, there are only so many ways we can really help the world,” Ngo said. “But if more people wear the pins, then more people will see.”
photo by Katherine Ge (@flashedbykath)
Designer Josie Bogner had a similar, less direct take on the politics within fashion. Her piece, a yellow summer dress transformed from a men’s button-up top, embodied a grounding message about sustainability and fast fashion in our world.
Being involved in multiple other sustainability organizations at Berkeley, and also a fashion lover, creating a piece that would inspire others to look into creating their own clothes was Bogner’s ultimate goal.
“Sustainability is one of those things that is really coming to be a serious issue and as we're going into the future and a lot of regulations, on sustainability and the environment are being rescinded [...] so I think that reminding people that they can make an individual impact is super important because a lot of the time it feels like the world is so out of your control,” Bogner said.
Trail-ored
Designer Kadyn Day took similar inspiration when crafting all five of her looks for the runway. For Day, it was all about creating an image that was achievable. From makeup and hair, to the modeled outfits, everything was flowy, natural, and easy—her way of breaking the stereotype of sewing: that making your own clothes is a task exclusive to the gifted craftsmen.
“I want the people watching to recognize this, like you can make your clothes,” Day said. “You can recycle, you can reuse all the materials and things that don't fit you and make it something you can wear every day.”
photo by Aden Guitérrez (@disciplinarianism)
Using materials pulled from vintage Patagonia and Levi’s, each look meshed varying floral prints and denim. Day expressed how deciphering what materials to use for her looks was one of her favorite parts about prepping for the runway.
“It was so cool to work with Patagonia because it's expensive, but all the materials are so well made [...] their things are meant to last forever,” Day said.
Given the natural cycle of relevance within fashion, Day’s approach felt refreshingly subversive: garments designed for specific occasions were reimagined as pieces that fit seamlessly into everyday wear.
Thanks For Watching!
photo by Lucy Blanchard (@lucyeva.photos)
It is hard to describe the Garb-age runway in a couple of words, much less 1000 words. It’s an event to experience. One where you will enter confused, walk away inspired, and wake up with a headache— if you do it right. So if you made it this far, I officiate you clear of all negative energy accumulated on the Friday of March 13th if you didn’t attend yourself. You’re welcome, and see you next semester!
