STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Kalea Mitma, a seventh grader at Wood River Middle School, took to the runway this past Saturday dressed as a fully accessorized clown, layered in ties of every color and pattern over layers of blouses and skirts.

"We started adding ties and kept adding layers because clowns are creative and funny and wear multiple colors,” she said, just before taking her turn on the runway at the third annual Earth Day Thrift Store Fashion Show.

The ties came from her friends. The confidence came from somewhere deeper.

Eleanor Sirek walked the runway to the music of Madonna’s “Material Girl.”

"I entered to get over my fear of socializing," she said with a faint smile.

Mitma was one of eight Wood River Valley teens who turned Hailey Town Center West into a Parisian runway Saturday evening, strutting their upcycled creations before a crowd of enthusiastic cheering supporters.

The competitors, ranging from sixth through twelfth graders, had raided local thrift stores-- The Advocates' Attic, The Barkin', Emmanuel Episcopal Thrift and the Dollhouse Consignment Boutique--to create one-of-a-kind looks that were as original as the young designers wearing them.

Angel Guzman, a sophomore at Wood River High School, arrived at the thrift store late. But what he initially thought a near-disaster turned into inspiration.

Chayim Laufman, a sophomore at Wood River High School, walked to the Jackson Five’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” while his sidekick Bashir Hamilton, a sixth grader at Wood River Middle School, dressed as the Grinch.

"We were supposed to go very early in the morning to get all the good items, but we got there very late and the store was basically all empty," he said.

But he and his assistants—sister Lili Guzman and Josephine Nance--found matching earthy tones, a hand-tooled leather bag from the 1970s, a seed necklace and a vest embroidered with autumn leaves.

Some might have said he looked like a 1970s hippie bound for Wall Street. His team called the look “Style in Autumn.”

"I learned that we can make something look very good out of what we have," he said, "And I learned to always give clothes a second chance."

Kalea Mitma, who called herself “a clown against fashion,” walked to Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film.”

Scarlett Casey, a seventh-grader at Syringa Mountain School, made a statement with her punk rock look—a pink dress covered by a belted leather jacket and a padlock worn as a necklace inspired by the punk and grunge rock movements of the 1990s. She moved down the runway to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

She took off her jacket to reveal a sign inside that said “Punk Rock Revival. It’s not about fashion. It’s about the freedom to read anything.” Then she bared her arms to reveal the words “Freedom to Read” and “Live Out Loud.”

Mitma, too, had a statement, as she bent down on one knee showing a sign that said “People Over Profit” to those sitting at the end of the runway.

And Eleanor Sirek, a freshman at Sun Valley Community School participating in her third Earth Day Fashion Show, made her entire costume a statement.

The lineup of contestants also included Aliah Espinoza as a pirate and Rose Moffat as a motorcycle toughie.

She evidenced an old Hollywood glamour with a long gown under a floor-length faux fur coat created by Hailey designer Tewa Evans—an Iroquois with a reverence for Mother Earth. A train of plastic bags trailing like a tail.

The plastic bags represented the waste and pollution produced by the fashion industry. And on her back she hung a message: “Leave trails of kindness, not trash.”

"I wanted to do something earth-themed," she said. "This is a dress train showing all the garbage and waste that creating this outfit produced."

Lara Spencer of The Dollhouse, WRMS English Sara Shafer and WRMS Librarian Paraprofessional Trenton Pennington were tasked with the unenviable task of judging.

And, when the kids had finished strutting, those judges awarded $100 in Chamber Bucks to Angel Guzman for “Most Confident,” to Kalea Mitma for “Best Upcycling” and to Scarlet Casey for “Most On Theme.”

The event was made possible with the help of The Chamber and Friends of the Hailey Public Library, with the goal of promoting green fashion and creativity among local youth.

SUPERMODEL COMING TO TOWN

Supermodel Amber Evangeline Valletta will be coming to Sun Valley in June to take part in the annual Sun Valley Forum.

Forum founder Aimee Christensen said Valletta, a model and actress, will discuss her work drawing attention to climate change and sustainability in the fashion field as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. Valletta also serves as the spokesperson for Oceana’s Seafood Contamination Campaign to raise awareness of mercury poisoning in some seafood.

The 2026 Sun Valley Forum will be held the week of June 15.