This spring, The RealReal, the online marketplace for authenticated resale luxury goods, partnered with FIT for the second upcycled collaboration to offer Fashion Design students the opportunity to design and create luxury sustainable dresses from items in The RealReal’s inventory that were unable to be sold. (In the first collaboration, students created outerwear.) Ten finalists were selected to create the dresses, which went up for sale on The RealReal’s website on April 7. The top three dresses were awarded cash prizes. The first and second prize winners’ dresses were also worn to this year’s FIT Annual Gala, honoring President Joyce F. Brown, at the Glasshouse on April 1.
The finalists were challenged to design a functional event-wear outfit using garments provided by TheRealReal, maximizing the use of recylced materials and creatively reworking imperfections. Designs were judged by a panel of industry experts: The RealReal President and COO Rati Sahi Levesque; Ian Allen Greer, designer and FIT alumnus; and Marina Testino, model.
Sara Khadirsharbayani, Fashion Design BFA ’26, won the first-prize of $3,000 and having her black dress worn to the gala by model Marina Testino. The dress design was inspired by Diana Orving, a fashion designer turned installation artist. To construct the dress, Khadirsharbayani used organza, cotton, poly satin, and tulle in black and navy. She created the shapes by hand and sewed them into the dress. She also built a corset into the top of the dress to provide structure.
When she found out she won, Khadirsharbayani said, “It was an indescribable feeling, a mix of shock and pride. But the work doesn’t stop there—I have so much more up my sleeve.” Currently a junior, she has chosen the Special Occasion specialization of the Fashion Design BFA program.
Check out a slideshow of all the designers and their dresses.
The $1,500 second-place prize was awarded to Jueun Jung, Fashion Design BFA ‘25, who designed a black and white dress, inspired by women’s silhouettes. She chose black as part of her design aesthetic and kept her design delicate with an open back and delicate straps. Her dress was worn by Noelle Sciacca, associate director of Fashion and Strategic Partnerships for The RealReal.
The entire look was created from just two upcycled dresses that Jung deconstructed. “I love how upcycling clothes allows me to create a whole new outfit, which was a great experience!,” she said. “This is also why I am in the Knitwear specialization, so that I can keep sustainable design practices.” Jung is a senior in the Fashion Design BFA program.
Asalya Samieva, Fashion Design BFA ‘25, received the $500 third-prize for her dress. Inspired by the tile works of Islamic architecture in her home country, Uzbekistan, Samieva selected back-stock garments in shades of blue and indigo reminiscent of the tiles. Working with material from 10 original garments, she wove together fabric pieces to create the patterns down the front of her top. This challenge allowed her to be creative and design with intention, she said: “Being sustainable means more than having a 100% pure fabric, it means being able see what you started with and repurpose into something new. You can upcycle your wardrobe.”