Using the phrase ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’ as inspiration, a coalition of environmentally-friendly students will host a fashion show of clothes made entirely from trash.
The first of its kind at Binghamton University, the ‘Trashion Show’ will be Monday, with workshops and shows starting at 6 p.m. in the Tillman Lobby of the Old University Union.
For the main event, 12 models will strut down the runway at 7:30 p.m., dressed in everything from the mesh bags that hold vegetables to the plastic used in wrapping flowers.
In order to make the 12 outfits out of trash, students needed to get creative.
According to Hyo Kim, environmental project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) and a junior majoring in environmental chemistry, plastic bags are the most accessible material the designers had. They learned how to crochet them and fuse them to make the material easier to use and feel more like a fabric.
‘We had a ton of plastic bags, and one way we utilized them was by turning them into yarn,’ said Emily Greene, president of the Campus Climate Challenge and a junior double-majoring in biochemistry and math. ‘We also used the mesh to make leggings and to put trimmings on pieces. We did research to see what was possible.’
Many of the models will be wearing their own shoes. However, some will be barefoot or wear shoes made of trash materials, like cork.
The models will have the choice of keeping their outfits to wear in the future or recycling them at the end of the show. Any unused materials will be recycled as well.
Students from NYPIRG, the Student Environmental Awareness Club, Campus Climate Challenge and the Outdoors Club united to organize the event. The department of environmental studies provided funding.
Student organizers hope the ‘Trashion Show’ will encourage students and faculty to recycle.
Kim said the event is designed to make students think about the waste they produce.
‘We really need to be aware of what we’re throwing out,’ Kim said. ‘Since most of our stuff is paid for by our parents, we don’t really realize how much we’re buying and consuming. Awareness is really important. That’s what the ‘Trashion Show’ is for.’
As an introduction to fun ways of recycling, students will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop on how to crochet plastic bags or watch a drum performance where the drummers will play their beats on oatmeal containers and recycling bins. The author of a book on secondhand clothing will also be speaking.
Throughout the course of the evening there will be booths, including a sale by Plato’s Closet and a bake sale, for audience members to visit.
Students may come to one or all of the events. There is no admission fee, but there is a suggested donation of $2.
The proceeds raised during the event will go to the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition (BRSC), an organization formed in 2008 that focuses on promoting sustainability within the Binghamton community.
‘We wanted to focus with a local environmental group,’ Kim said. ‘[BRSC] is very reliable and doing a lot of things to improve our community.’