About Nancy Judd

Nancy Judd

Nancy Judd of Recycle Runway strives to change the way people live on the earth through innovative exhibitions that showcase sustainable fashion designs made from trash. Her couture fashions have been sponsored by international organizations including Delta Air Lines, Toyota, Coca-Cola and Target, and one of her pieces was accepted into the Smithsonian’s permanent collection in 2011.

Environmental educator and public artist Nancy Judd installs traveling exhibitions of the Recycle Runway Collection in high traffic locations such as museums, shopping malls and airports.

Ms. Judd also creates site-specific public art, often in community workshops. In Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast, she was asked to create the Jellyfish Dress, a garment using plastic bags that brought attention to marine conservation issues. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she used inner tube tires in Tire-less Couture to showcase the City’s commitment to encourage citizens to drive less and use the new bicycle paths.

Nancy giving a TEDx talk wearing the Caution Tape Dress

The purpose of the Recycle Runway garments is to capture the public’s attention and inspire people to consider the environment in their daily choices at work, home, school and in all their community activities. Nancy accomplishes this through giving engaging speeches and providing creative eco-events for adults and children in conjunction with her exhibitions, public art commissions and garment sponsorships.

Ms. Judd started Recycled Runway while working as the Recycling Coordinator for the City of Santa Fe and then as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition. She recognized that art and fashion could be used to raise the environmental consciousness of the public in a fun and positive way. In 1998 Nancy co-founded the Recycle Santa Fe Art Market & Fashion Contest, a popular arts event in the international arts destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Drawing upon her life-long experience as an artist, she began to create recycled garments to promote this event. This led to the formation of the Recycle Runway Collection which has been exhibited internationally, and received worldwide media attention, including an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.