A solution to climate change? Dressing better.

This story is produced by Montana Free Press/Mountain Journal in collaboration with Grist as part of the Report for America Local News Initiative.

For a few moments on a Thursday night in October, a thrift store coffee shop in Missoula’s northside felt like the city’s hottest club. 

Over a hundred people packed into Funk It Coffee and Thrift for the third annual Climate Solutions Week Fashion Show. A DJ booth sat on risers in the corner. The shop’s eclectic mix of floral and chartreuse couches and oversized leather armchairs were lined either side of the makeshift runway that stretched from the back of the house all the way to the front door. A disco ball overhead reflected the ground level uplights, and battery operated candles studded the catwalk where models showcased handmade and upcycled fashions made by five local designers.

Chloe Russell, who co-owns Funk It with her cousin Markie, emceed the event. In between announcing the fashions on display, Russell made cheeky jabs at the reality of the climate crisis. 

“She is wearing a breezy white flutter top inspired by ’70s trends made from a repurposed tablecloth, paired with shorts made from a collection of denim scraps” Russell said. “A look that is casual, practical, and keeps her cool as the earth burns to the ground around us!”

This summer was the hottest on record in the contiguous U.S., a staggering statistic that can leave many feeling despondent, said Shanti Devins with Climate Smart Missoula, the nonprofit group that founded Climate Solutions Week. The feeling of hopelessness that can accompany climate change awareness, Devins said, is exactly why she and her colleagues launched the annual event. 

“We’re not going to be put down about climate solutions. Like, ‘We can’t do this, it’s too late,’ or [being] in this individual mind frame,” Devins said, speaking to the audience before the show began from under the twinkle of the shop’s massive disco ball, just before the start of the event. “We’re this collective hive. We’re humming along, and we are part of the solution.”

Missoula’s Climate Solutions Week — and the fashion show in particular — centers around creating community while addressing climate change. The fashion industry has a significant carbon footprint, accounting for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That means fashion is the second largest industrial polluter in the world behind oil and gas. Passing fads and consumerism have driven demands for “fast fashion” — trendy items with a cheap price tag often manufactured in overseas factories where workers face unsafe conditions, low wages and forced labor. Fast fashion, paired with micro trends on social media, have increased global clothing production using cheap petroleum-based plastic textiles, like polyester. 

“As we wash them, we are shedding off plastic and creating a microplastics problem that is not only terrible for our environment, it’s terrible for our bodies,” said Devins.

In 2024, Chinese researchers calculated the carbon emissions of fast-fashion using denim as a case study, and found jeans are worn an average of 7 times before being thrown away. Decomposing waste in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas.   

Missoula’s Climate Fashion Show is at least a partial antidote to these harms, Devins said. This year, the show featured five designers’ work with handmade textiles using sustainable fabrics or upcycled goods, like the denim-scraps-turned-shorts from designer Lessons Learned. 

Amy Pearson, and her company CC Designs, was one of the five artists featured in this year’s show. She uses heirloom textiles, like embroidered pieces from tablecloths that belonged to her grandmother. She upcycles other fabrics like fabrics from napkins, and bed linens — “Really, anything that speaks to me,” she said. 

“I try to be as conscious as possible. I like using these fabrics instead of leaving them hanging in a closet or ending up in a landfill,” Pearson said. 

Part of the joy of her work, she added, is showcasing the new life that old goods can have. 

Leah Thompson, another featured designer, makes swimwear and athleisure pieces through her brand Moonlight Citizen. This was Thompson’s second year participating in the fashion show. 

“Missoula is such a unique and creative community,” she said. “The energy around the fashion show makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger.” 

She also makes sewing patterns and hopes events like this help inspire others to consider where their clothing comes from. 

Funk It carries thrifted items, no matter how they were made. But co-owner Chloe Russell said the purpose of this fashion show is to showcase the art of “slow fashion” made directly by community members. 

“Fast fashion has become such an easy access to fashion, but at what cost?” Russell said. “We never wanted to shame anyone. We wanted to educate, and so this fashion show is a great way to inspire what slow fashion is.” 

Markie Russell, Funk It’s other co-owner, said they weren’t sure what to expect when starting the event three years ago. But they’ve heard from attendees and designers about how it’s become a beloved staple of Climate Solutions Week and a fun way to create community while fighting climate change. 

“It gives an avenue that a lot of people might not have,” Russell said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. And so to put on a well-fashioned, pun intended, fashion show takes effort, and we do it for the love of the community.”