“It started off as me offhandedly wanting to throw a fashion show,” says Wallace, whose love for fashion has turned her into an up-and-coming Dallas fashion events host. “I’d never been to one, and I’ve always wanted to fundraise. I was like, how can I make this into a fundraiser? Well, I also wanted to learn how to sew. So I’m like, OK, I’ll throw a fashion show; who do I know that’s an upcycled designer? It’ll be an upcycled fashion show, hence the name Upcycle the Runway, and they’ll be fundraising for free community sewing classes.”
After doing extensive research, Wallace designed a lesson plan for a five-week course that will teach students how to make a sweater from start to finish. DFLocal’s sewing classes will launch in the summer of 2025.
“I locked down a space in each city and an instructor and got all the materials already,” she says. “All the money I raise is going toward the sewing classes. They are not cheap. They’re pretty expensive. You have to have sewing machines, at least five for each city. And then you have to have materials: cotton, because I don’t like acrylic, nylon, polyester, any of that. That stuff is plastic.”
To raise money for sewing classes, Wallace planned fashion shows in the three cities that would offer courses. Her Waco Upcycle the Runway show took place last year on Sept. 14; the Houston show was on Dec. 27; and the Dallas show will take place June 7 at Deep Ellum Art Co.
“They all feature five upcycled designers,” she says. “I have Nicole de Soul; she starts all of my shows off with singing bowls, sound healing, just to get everyone ready to experience the art. We get a little educational about overconsumption and sustainability, and then we jump right into pretty performative arts, all the upcycled designers showcasing their designs.”
Upcycled fashion repurposes old or discarded clothing and materials into new designs.
Upcycle the Runway shows have included well-known DFW designers Amerikon and Made Line Fashion, Arkansas designer Tylo May, and Houston designers Borrowed Hand Motîf and Butterfly Grove. The shows also feature live musical performances from Dallas artist Meka Jackson and DJs from each select city. Other event attractions include vendors, handmade jewelry, spoken word and live art.
“I keep the events PG as best as I can so that everyone is welcome,” she says. “I definitely want the youth involved, because they could be the future of fashion, and those kinds of opportunities, if they could learn how to sew for free, that could just open up a whole world for them.”
Aside from the fashion shows and clothing swap events, DFLocal has hosted other unique events to raise money for the community sewing classes. These events include a formal tea party, First Friday vendor markets, and clothing and blanket drives. Her last Community Clothing Upcycle event included live music from Stan Fran Cisco.
Dedicated to giving back to those in need, Wallace hopes to help foster a more inviting attitude in fashion. These goals trace back to her childhood when she faced struggles that shaped her into the innovative and crafty fashion creator she is today.
“Honestly, it’s a little vulnerable, but I grew up really poor,” she says, “so being able to find little ways to customize my closet, it gave me power to self-express myself without being victimized to any stereotypes about where I came from or what was at home. I could leave that at home.”
Threads Up
Growing up in the projects with a single mother, Wallace's ambition and ingenuity sprung from working with what she had. That, and her mother’s ongoing encouragement. She pushed her to express her individuality, which is how Wallace learned to shop at thrift stores, estate sales and other refurbished distributors. Now, she prides herself on having a closet of wildly unique, refurbished fashions from thrifts, vintage shops and other local merchants, as well as items from upcycled, sustainable local designers.“Whenever you buy secondhand, everything is pretty much one of one,” she says. “You won’t be stereotyped. You can be a normal person and also express your individuality, and it doesn’t have to be a classist thing.”
Wallace’s fashion journey began when she designed shirts for her whole elementary and middle school class. A self-proclaimed “scene queen” growing up, she was into skater fashion and manga, which eventually bloomed into the edgy and ever-evolving style she flaunts today.
“Even though I was so not into school at all, it was these little indicatives of the future that sprang upon me,” she says. “I always wanted to do charity work. I tried to do charity work when I was 19 for suicide awareness and I just didn’t have leadership skills yet. I wanted to throw a 5k in Dallas to put money back into community resources for low-income housing, and didn’t have the leadership skills. So just trying to learn and develop that until eventually I got older and finally figured out how to implement the visions I had.”
Though her style started in small places, she always had a passion for change and leadership, and now she has a platform to do so. Since its founding, DFLocal has gained followers and developed organically, showing a growing trend toward sustainability in fashion and the need for more advocacy and education to steer away from mass-produced clothes manufacturing.
“Evolving with the times, I’m just realizing there’s not enough education around sustainability, and it doesn’t just have to be for people who can afford it,” Wallace says. “It should be for everyone. I predicted two years ago that new textiles are out and upcycled, vintage textiles would be in. You’re even seeing this in Paris Fashion Week now.
“It’s sustainability and it’s in. It’s just not ethical to keep shopping for new textiles. There might be a lot of boats in the ocean but when the tides rise, we all rise. Our competition shouldn’t be SHEIN, H&M, Walmart, Target, because they’re just not ethical brands.”
