When first-year Butler University student Rain Williams walked into her high school fashion design class, she didn’t expect the journey ahead would take her nearly 4,000 miles from her Chicago hometown to an international runway in Dublin, Ireland. But that’s exactly what happened when Rain qualified for the global finals of Junk Kouture, a prestigious competition that challenges young creatives to design haute couture from 100 percent recycled materials. 

Rain, who graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School, is the first student from her school to participate in the competition. She discovered Junk Kouture thanks to her fashion design teacher, who shared a video of the previous year’s finals. “As soon as I saw it, I was like—I want to do that,” Rain says. 

Her design, titled “Good Night Moon,” was inspired by the peaceful imagery of the beloved children’s book. “I wanted to create something that captured the feeling of being tucked in at night, surrounded by comfort and quiet,” she explains. The piece was constructed entirely from materials Rain found in her household and garage—embodying the sustainability at the heart of Junk Kouture. 

Rain’s close friend modeled the design on the runway and joined her, along with their teacher, on the trip to Dublin. All three traveled with expenses covered by the competition. The experience of seeing her creation come to life on stage, set to the dreamy lullaby “Rises the Moon” by Liana Flores, was a full-circle moment. “When I saw my friend walking down the runway wearing something I designed from scratch, I knew all the late nights and effort were worth it,” she says. 

But for Rain, the highlight wasn’t just the show—it was the community. “Meeting people from all over the world who were just as passionate and creative as I am—that was my favorite part,” she says. She remains in touch with several fellow participants via social media, including one designer from Boston who now attends Purdue University. 

Currently a student in Butler’s Lacy School of Business, Rain came to Butler as a Marketing major but is thinking of changing majors. “I want to run my own fashion business someday, and I realized I need to understand the numbers to make that happen,” she says. “Finance—or maybe entrepreneurship—feels like the right path.” 

Whether in a studio or a spreadsheet, Rain’s creative vision and entrepreneurial spirit are already taking her far—and she’s just getting started.