Trash to Fashion 2018 winners.
For the past few years, UMPI has been putting on an event for the community that showcases the amazing artwork that people can do with recycled goods. The Trash to Fashion show is put on by UMPI’s art department, is open to the public and its participant’s come from the university’s art classes as well as from outside in the community. This year, on April 20, the show featured some really ingenious pieces from the participants.
The show is about creating outfits using recycled materials. Participants must find materials and repurpose them into something that is wearable. Materials used this year included newspaper, Tim Horton’s coffee cups, used plastic shopping bags and even dryer sheets. The models strutted down the runway, allowing the audience to admire the work that the designers had done (some designers made the decision to model their own creations).
Brandy Smith, one of the shows designers (who also modeled her own design), seemed to really enjoy the show. “The show was great,” she said. “There were so many people who had amazing outfits. I don’t know how they made them. I was really impressed. There was also a really good turnout.” Smith’s own creation was a top and skirt two-piece made from recycled newspaper.
After the models walked the runway, the outfits were judged and winners were picked. Something new, just for fun, was a crowd-favorite piece. The audience screamed as loudly as they could to determine their favorite piece.
People appeared to have a great time, and it was a way for the designers to show off their original ideas. “It was nice to show off something I had worked on in class to the community,” Smith said.
The Trash to Fashion show showed that recycled materials can be used to bring joy to people and can also be a way to challenge people’s creativity. It is a way to prevent waste by using seemingly common materials and turning them into works of art that everyone can enjoy.
