7th annual fashion show fundraiser to aid clean water nonprofit

REVO, a fashion show of student-designed clothing will be held Sun., May 1 at 5 p.m., at the Troesh Conference Center in La Sierra’s Zapara School of Business. The event will include an art exhibit and sale, photography contest, and food vendors. A fashion show of designs created by seven La Sierra students will serve as the event’s centerpiece.

All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Charitywater.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to bring clean drinking water to every person on the planet. The organization, established in 2006, says it has funded 19,819 water projects in 24 countries thus far. It uses a network of partners and contributes 100% of its public donations to its community-owned water projects.

Seventy-five percent of REVO food sales will also benefit CharityWater.org, with the remainder funding next year’s REVO cause.

REVO is a grassroots movement that began in Hawaii, arriving at the La Sierra University campus in 2010. It addresses social injustice and need through fashion, art and music events that benefit charitable organizations and causes. REVO’s motto is “start a revolution, start with love.” 

La Sierra University has held REVO fund raising fashion and arts events each spring since 2010. Thus far students have designed more than 500 outfits for REVO shows and have raised over $67,700. This money has supported anti-human trafficking organizations, refugees in Syria, outreach missions in Peru, a children’s school in Cambodia, and orphans in Rwanda.

“REVO’s official mission for the year has been, ‘to use fashion, art and music to leave the world a better place than we found it on local and international levels,’” said REVO President Klarissa Bietz, a senior management and marketing double major with the School of Business. “We use repurposed materials, unconventional models, and a burning desire to inspire and support those in our community.”

Bietz is also one of the show’s designers and creator of a website devoted to fashion as a means of empowerment through green and ethical sourcing, fair labor practices and inclusive model casting. She will serve as a speaker during the April 29 TEDxLaSierraUniversity event.

This year’s REVO has also benefited local community outreach programs. In planning for the fashion show, REVO designers have purchased new and used clothes and fabrics at the La Sierra University Church community services boutique, ultimately supporting a weekly food bank that operates out of the university’s Sierra Vista Chapel.

La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. A campus map is available at https://lasierra.edu/campus-map/.