Designer Clothing Does Good: Secondhand from Styleta

Thanks to the ever-growing popularity of stylish reality shows like Project Runway and America's Next Top Model, girls everywhere are secretly daydreaming about getting their shot in the fashion industry, and it's no secret that the Shoestring girls are unapologetically fashion obsessed.

Lucky for us (and you), we recently met the fabulous and similarly fashion-obsessed lady behind Styleta.com, Yifan Zhang — a recent Harvard grad who dreamed up this designer clothing swap website to collect chic castoffs from stylish working women around the country and then auctions those items online (for a fraction of the retail cost), raising money for altruistic endeavors like Dress for Success.

Launched in April (and currently seeking that coveted non-profit status), Styleta has quickly grown in popularity as a way to literally give the clothes off our backs to women less fortunate — and Zhang recently unveiled her next dream-maker: the Styleta Student Designer Challenge.

From recycled denim pieces to Speed Racer-inspired overcoats, these six design students will wow you with the one-of-a-kind pieces they've created and donated to the competition. Vote for your favorite designer via Facebook, giving the winning designer a chance to have her unique piece sold for auction on Styleta's website, plus 10 randomly-drawn voters will each receive a $20 gift certificate. Shopping for designer resale while doing good in the process? Sounds like a win-win to us!

Story: Copyright 2010, Shoestring LLC. Image: Courtesy of Styleta.