Upcycling fashion designer Imani Batts is making waves in Pittsburgh and beyond as a trendsetter and sustainable fashion designer.

Her thrift store finds are reworked into strikingly distinct, one-of-a-kind pieces. The most recent fashion show for her brand, Catherine Trendz, was the “GRWM” Runway Experience on Saturday at Velum Fermentation on the South Side.

The theme was “Embracing Black Hair, Black Culture & The Black Experience” — which is exactly what Batts, 28, did with an event that included dance, a drum ensemble, a runway show and a variety of Black-owned vendors.

In her “GRWM” collection (Get Ready With Me), hand-sewn wooden beads moved on skirts. A two-piece set featured a delicate pattern of colorful barrettes that were used to fill the bodice of the top and interior of the skirt.

Batts said she describes her style as nostalgic, colorful and loud.

“A lot of my looks are not only aesthetically pleasing, but it is also the noise that comes with the looks, because they are loud — when the models move, you don’t just see them but you also hear them, and I think that is very important,” she said.

Many of her looks feature the iconic bamboo earrings that are a fashion staple for Black women.

On Batts’ creations, the earrings for each look are all spray painted gold. At the show, they adorned jean jackets, jeans and halter crop tops, and were also on the black blazer of Batts’ look for the night.

What Batts sought to convey most in the show was embracing the beauty, joy, versatility and boldness of Black hair.

“I wanted to showcase that we have all been through a journey. And specifically for Black women … when we were younger, having beads, ballies and barrettes and all the things, then graduating to weaves and hoops,” Batts said.

Certain looks tell a story. Batts specifically speaks of a skirt with wooden beads that she created for a child model . The skirt is representative of Batts’ own story when she was in preschool.

“I had wooden beads in my hair, and I remember that the teacher tied my beads up so that they wouldn’t make noise,” Batts said.

“At the time, I knew I was upset, but I really didn’t understand the multitude of how that made me feel until I got older — I felt like I was being suppressed,” Batts said. “I feel like she was trying to dim my light. I think it is very important to live in your truth and live authentically. I want to share my hair story so others can be inspired to go down memory lane of their own hair story, from perms to the big chop to locs. I don’t want people to be ashamed of that.”

With the creation of the look with the wooden beads, she wanted to embrace that moment in her childhood.

“That didn’t stop me from shining, and I want others to be as free and loud as they please,” Batts said.

Her fashion show kicked off with spoken word by Haley Clancy and a performance by FroGang. The event followed with a sneak peek into the documentary “Hair Journey,” which Batts is producing with Manuscript Productions LLC, followed by a performance by Sankofa Drum and Dance. The finale was the runway show featuring the looks from Batts’ collection.

Vendors included PBJ Customs art by Juliandra Jones, Nostalgic Soul Collective, the Black Environmental Collective and Kreative Touch, which provides custom sets of press-on nails.

“Collaborating with Imani has been great. It is just beautiful to see Black folks, especially in Pittsburgh, making things out of the resources that we have and tapping into not just one category of the culture but bringing the music, fashion, community and all of these aspects in one space,” said Carly Heywood of Nostalgic Soul Collective.

Alyssa Lyon, director of the Black Environmental Collective, agreed.

“It was important to collaborate with Imani, because she is taking the intersection of important parts of Black culture and weaving it with environment,” Lyon said. “We can do both. We can be advocates for environmental justice, and we can also dabble in our passions.”

Batts knew in kindergarten that she wanted to be a fashion designer.

She studied fashion merchandising and small business at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Batts is considering extending her current collection into ready-to-wear pieces for sale. She said the fashion industry is a bit late to the party when it comes to upcycling and giving clothes a second chance.

“Black people we have always been sustainable and just really resourceful,” Batts said.

Sustainability is at the forefront of her brand — she doesn’t want clothes to end up in a landfill.

In May, Batts will have another gallery show at Brew House.

She also teaches one one-on-one sewing classes to ages 8 and up at her Brew House art studio and is adding more services that will include a monthly membership. She holds workshops for summer camps and a seven-week curriculum of sewing lessons.

“The next generation is here, and I believe that representation is really big,” Batts said.