TCNJ

34 The College of New Jersey Magazine W hen Nancy Volpe Beringer's whirlwind Project Runway adventure ended just shy of the top prize, the designer felt not defeat but exhilaration. At the age of 64, she'd made history as the oldest contestant to ever compete on the show, and created a go-for-broke final collection that shined a light on sustainable and inclusive designs. With an array of sleek, seamless dresses cut from a single piece of cloth and shimmering gowns adapted for wheelchair users, Volpe Beringer '88 challenged judges and viewers alike to widen their perspectives — and she was just getting started. Back home in Philadelphia, Volpe Beringer quickly launched The Vault, the world's first — and only — luxury resale platform offering free, adaptable options for people living with disabilities. The adjustments she makes to upcycled designer clothing range from replacing the zipper on a Chanel jacket with magnets for a customer with limited dexterity to increasing the height of a waistband on a pair of Prada jeans for someone who uses a wheelchair. The idea that clothing can be accessible, sustainable, and fashionable is gaining attention within the industry and beyond. Last summer, Volpe Beringer, a past honoree of the Fashion Impact Fund, was invited to speak at the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network annual meeting about her efforts to make fashion more inclusive. "Project Runway gave me a voice to use for people who are not heard," she says, adding, "Everyone should have the ability to use fashion to empower and express themselves." The path that led Volpe Beringer to this moment began a decade ago when she enrolled in Drexel University's fashion design graduate program after a career at the New Jersey Education Association. The impulse struck her one sleepless night when she asked herself what she would want to learn if she was young again. "It was so strange, because the answer was always there," she says. "Immediately, it was fashion design." In a first-semester weekend workshop on adaptive design, Volpe Beringer caught a glimpse of her future. She'd chosen the class simply because it sounded interesting, but the exercises were immersive and the days spiked with challenges: Students collaborated while wearing blindfolds and brainstormed while limiting the use of one hand. Volpe Beringer was energized, thinking about function and fashion in a way she never had. THE IDEA THAT CLOTHING CAN BE ACCESSIBLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND FASHIONABLE IS GAINING ATTENTION WITHIN THE INDUSTRY AND BEYOND. NANCY VOLPE BERINGER '88 Inclusive designer

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