What do shotgun shells, videotapes and 3-D glasses have in common? They can all be used for fashion.
The 9th annual Bloomington Trashion Refashion Runway Show took place Sunday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The event, presented by Plato’s Closet, showcased original fashion creations by designers young and old. Plato's Closet is a gently used, brand name clothing store, according to its website.
The fashion show is an annual fundraiser for Discardia and the Center for Sustainable Living, according to its website. Discardia, a project by the nonprofit sustainability organization Bloomington Center for Sustainable Living, focuses on reusing reclaimed material, according to the Discardia and Center for Sustainable Living website.
For the fashion show, designers create full outfits made out of materials meant for landfills. Garments created by designers must be made up of 90 percent refashioned or discarded materials, according to the Trashion Refashion website.
The show was broken into two parts: trashion and refashion. The refashion show is made up of clothing creations made out of previously used clothing. Trashion designs are created out of discarded items, according to the website.
The show began with a performance by Fiddle ‘n’ Feet, a traditional North American and Celtic band accompanied by dancers. Each dancer wore a brightly-colored skirts made of T-shirts and cropped aprons made of colorful plastic wristbands.
After the dance performance, the Master of Ceremonies took the stage to introduce the night's events. Adorned in attire accented with pop can tabs, Yael Ksander, the emcee, told the audience the show was unlike typical fashion shows.
“You’re gonna see the deconstruction of a fashion show,” Ksander said.
The age of designers ranged from young to old. An 11-year-old designer had been creating designs for the show for nine years.
Designers got creative with their pieces and what materials were used for the designs. One design included a helmet made of shotgun shells while another used ties and videotape to create a bustle on the back of a dress. A sweater on another design was knitted completely of T-shirt scraps.
The crowd erupted over a sweatshirt-shorts combo designed out of a quilt. Another design, modeled by Trashion Refashion director Stephen Hale, was created to withstand Indiana’s ever-changing spring weather. The crowd laughed as Hale removed layer after layer of reused material until it came down to a white button-up shirt and corduroy shorts.
Designers had to create completed outfits and could collaborate with other designers. One design included a young girl who, along with her mother, created a turquoise dress accented with black and handmade flowers made of fabric.
The end of the refashion portion of the show featured two bridal looks made for opposing personalities. The first dress was a strapless gown with a long, ruffled train. The design of the other gown took a full-length dress and cut it into a short sleeve, knee-length frock.
After each design was presented, the models returned with the designers of their outfits. For some, the designers were the models and showcased their designs themselves.
The point of the show was not to fit beauty standards for women, Ksander said. Rather, it was to show off the ingenuity of creative minds. Ksander denounced beauty standards women are held to with her opening monologue.
“Can we all agree that it’s time to redefine beauty and fashion?” she said.
