Students from SF State’s Art Department displayed used clothing they transformed into couture fashion Saturday.

The exhibit entitled, “Discarded to Divine,” had its reception at the Art Department Student Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. With the help of Sally Rosen, an administrator with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, students were able to transform hundreds of donated shirts, slacks and other clothing into one-of-a-kind ensembles. The St. Vincent de Paul Society is a Catholic lay organization that provides emergency help for those in need.

SF State and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising students came together to create wearable art that will help make a difference in the lives of the Tenderloin’s most needy residents. On April 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the designs will be auctioned off at Gensler Associates, an architectural firm. Proceeds from the artwork will benefit the Vincentian Help Desk (at the St. Vincent de Paul Society), an agency that provides food and clothing to hundreds of homeless people every month.

“Art wear created by students living and going to school in the community seemed like a great way to connect the talents of young designers with the larger social issues in our community,” said Dawn Marie Forsyth, 45, a fine arts major, who runs the fashion design department at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

Forsyth initially approached the SF State Art Department Chair Candace Crockett with the idea and more than 50 artists participated in the project.

One artist, Laura Sudweeks, 35, created a wedding dress out of 20 pairs of bleached denim. The flowers along the bodice and back of the gown are made from flannel shirts that were starched and gathered at the seam. The gown features a corset back, making use of the leftover buttons from the waistband of the jeans.

“I am elated that my work will benefit others,” said Sudweeks. “I have been aided by similar programs when I was younger. That is part of the drive behind the piece. Do the best you can with what you have and make the most of it.”

Jill Bergantz, 18, designed a rainbow colored shawl by knitting 33 dyed scarves and eight plastic bags together. Printed on some of the plastic bags are the words, “I will not be cold.”

“I ended up taking a lot of scarves, and bags with holes in them that no one would want to take home, things that I thought were not going to be important to anyone,” said Bergantz. “I wanted to turn something useless into something beautiful, useful and warm.”

After being on display at the Art Department Student Gallery, designs will go to the de Young Museum at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on March 31, where they will be showcased that night from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. before being sent for auction.

“Discarded to Divine” will be on display until Feb. 23 between 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Fine Arts building, room 286. For more information, call 415-338-2176.