You think you know “trashy.” You’ve seen some sorry sights stumbling around campus on weekends in ten–inch heels and three–inch skirts. But if you really want to see the trashiest men and women of Allegheny, you won’t find them at any parties this Saturday. They’ll be clad in bustiers made from old McKinley’s cups and ties made out of condom boxes, and they’ll be strutting their stuff at the Trashion Show.
The Trashion Show is a fashion show unlike any other. It will be held on March 6 in the Campus Center lobby from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A joint effort by EcoReps and Students for Environmental Action (SEA), the show challenges designers to create outfits entirely from found materials that might otherwise be thrown away.
“We want to emphasize the incredible potential for reuse in so many single–use items,” said Paula Frisch, ’11, treasurer of SEA and one of the planners of the event. “Our goal is to promote the connection between creativity, resourcefulness and environmental responsibility.”
Kritika Kapadia, ’11, an EcoRep also involved with the event, had similar sentiments.
“In North America, only about one percent of consumer goods remain in usage six months after their date of purchase,” Kapadia said. “Recycling is certainly beneficial and should be practiced, but it is not enough. Thus, the Trashion Show is a way to celebrate human creativity and ingenuity and an attempt to view our current system through a different, alternative light.”
The designers and models are all students. Both individuals and organizations, such as the student literary magazine Overkill, have entered.
Claire Pyott, ’12, one of the designers for Overkill, described her work, pictured above.
“The bustier is made entirely out of McKinley’s compostable cups and was largely inspired by past Project Runway challenges,” said Pyott. “Overkill is not afraid of making statements about who we are, our lives, and the society we live in — and for me, the dress does the same.”
Aside from raising awareness about reusing materials, the Trashion Show will serve as a fundraiser for Rags 2 Riches, a Meadville charity that creates usable items from old, donated clothing.
A panel of celebrity judges made up of Allegheny employees and familiar faces will preside over the runway show. Winning designers will receive gift certificates to local eateries, such as The Markethouse Grille and The Pampered Palate. Refreshments from Creative Crust Pizza will be served.
Feeling trashy? The deadline for both models and designers to enter has been extended until Friday.
Students interested in participating should contact Paula Frisch at [email protected].
