Feed Bag Fashion! Fun at 2015 WQHA Cap Gun Circuit
Robert Schmitz and Katie Kosobucki model the winning feed bag designs by Whitley Harelstad and Katelyn Schultz. Photo courtesy of Nutrena.
By: Brittany Bevis
Popular television shows like Project Runway, Threads, and Under the Gunn, have popularized the trend of creating ready-to-wear fashion out of unconventional materials like foliage and flowers, paper and plastic products, and in some cases, even food. Elaborate prom dresses constructed out of Duct Tape and wedding ensembles made entirely of toilet paper frequently show up on Pinterest news feeds as witness to the creativity and ingenuity of many young designers.
Where does this trend fit into the horse world? Nutrena® recently partnered with the Wisconsin Quarter Horse Youth Association at the Cap Gun Circuit in Madison to host a fun competition to raise funds for members hoping to participate at the National Leadership Conference, AQHA Youth World Championship Show, and the National Youth Activities Team Tournament at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.
Budding feed bag fashion designers were supplied with a variety of colorful Nutrena® SafeChoice® horse feed bags and plenty of embellishment like twine, lace, ribbon, paint, and tape in order to create their one-of-a-kind fashion pieces. Designers were given two days to complete this challenge, which also included recruiting a model to display their creations around the show grounds. Votes for each design were garnered in the form of donations.
The custom creations included a couture high collar dress, futuristic purple number, patchwork gown with elaborate train, sweet pink skirt with matching purse, strapless fringed mini, and even a three piece suit. The top three designs were awarded with Gold, Silver, and Bronze trophies. Overall, $929.58 was raised! Nutrena then offered to match the funds, resulting in a total of $1,859.16 being presented to the Youth Association.
Frank Graceffa, Denim Wellhouse, Sydney Bishop, and Jen Drinkal model their Nutrena designs.
Congratulations to the top models and designers:
Gold- Robert Schmitz & Katie Kosobucki
Silver- Frank Graceffa
Bronze- Alec Martin
“This was a neat opportunity to showcase the youth exhibitors’ creativity and support a great cause,” says Danyelle Gabbert, Business Development Manager for Nutrena. “We’re always looking for fun and unique ways to support youth within the horse industry. It was great to see members engaging with exhibitors and spectators to ‘sell’ their designs and talk about why they should support WQHYA.”
Models Frank Graceffa and Alec Martin sport skirts to take home the bronze and silver trophies.
Jen Drinkal draws a crowd with her stylish feed bag design.
The adorable Denim Wellhouse with her Nutrena feed dress and purse accented with neon pink trim.
