The Paterson Museum is hosting a fashion exhibition showcasing more than a dozen designs made with recyclable, discarded, and upcycled materials donated by local manufacturing companies.

“Paterson Eco-Chic” exhibition set to open on September 17, 2017 will feature 16 designs by students, artists, and award-winning theater designer Victoria Pero. Designers wanted to highlight contemporary fashion while embracing sustainability.

Materials for the designs were donated by prominent local firms like Les Metalliers Champenois, Accurate Box, Greenbaum Interiors, and Feldman Brothers.

“As a museum with roots in the industrial history of the City of Paterson, such as cotton and silk, we are excited to expand our lens to look at fashion,” said museum director Giacomo Destefano. “This project will allow the Museum to continue to explore the role of culture and the arts in the global debate on environmental sustainability.”

Designs are inspired by images of Victorian fashion that was once in vogue in Paterson and combined with current trends seen in the city’s immigrant communities.

“Our exhibition explores a conversation between past and present, traditional craftsmanship and the blurred lines of fashion and (contemporary) art,” said Cristina Deutsch, curator for the exhibit.

Students and artists were challenged to create runway looks using upholstery fabrics, metal, plastic, paper, and thrift shop cloths.

“Young designers from all levels of society can be empowered to create something extraordinary from objects deemed worthless,” said Pero, co-director of the Performing Arts at the Bergen County Academies. “Give a child the power to make something from nothing and they will have all they need — imagination, problem-solving, collaboration skills, self-confidence and a deep love for design to make the world a better place.”

The grand opening on Sunday will also feature a fashion runway show that will be put on by the fashion club of Berkeley College.

The event is open to the public. It runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Paterson Museum, 2 Market Street. For more information call the museum at 973.321.1260.