If you saw a beach umbrella in the trash, would you think to turn it into an outfit?
Unconventional materials like burlap bags, a hammock, pop tops and underwear were upcycled into runway looks for the 16th annual Trashion Refashion Runway Show on Sunday evening at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
IU faculty Yaël Ksander and Cydni Robertson were the fashion show co-emcees. Ksander is a founding member of the Trashion Show, while Robertson, a first-year faculty member at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design, was a newcomer to the show. Both spoke of the importance of the runway show in reducing waste and showing support for local designers.
“I hope that this show inspires and ignites joy in you, in hopes you can use your critical thinking skills to examine your personal relationship with clothing consumption and its reuse through creative expression,” Robertson said.
The show is produced by Discardia, one of many projects at The Center for Sustainable Living in Bloomington. Community members and IU fashion design students of any skill level can submit their designs or model. Designs are usually due in February and are made from materials that would otherwise be thrown away.
Ksander and Robertson’s outfits were designed by IU senior Kenzie Mills. Mills said she was inspired by the emcees as individuals, with silhouettes and materials that were bold and playful. In addition to beach umbrellas, their looks were created using curtains, old city of Bloomington banners and even the tiny metal pieces of the umbrella’s frame.
For each design, Ksander and Robertson took turns announcing the model, designer, design name and briefly explained the materials used. The show was split into two groups with an intermission.
Carol Hedin, a designer in group one, has been involved in the Trashion Show for 15 years since she learned about it by a Facebook post from a friend. When she isn’t designing dresses for the show, Carol is the owner of Sublime Design in Bloomington, which does custom paintings and epoxy jewelry.
“I originally thought I was going to be like famous after the first year from my design, but I've since learned that it's more about fun and learning and the experience,” Carol Hedin said. “It's just great to see everybody's different designs and what they can do. My daughter loves it, and that makes me happy to do it with her and see her inspired every year.”
12-year-old Sadie Hedin has been modeling in the Trashion Show since she was 3. Her favorite part about the fashion show is how nice everyone is. From taking photos with people to getting dressed for the runway, Sadie said everyone is very kind. This year, she modeled and co-designed a dress with her mother titled “Fairy Tale Wedding.” The blue and purple ensemble was made from old bridal gowns, with a long train and butterfly veil.
“My favorite thing to see over time is my fashion sense changing,” Sadie Hedin said. “I've had like small dresses, flowy dresses, tight dresses.”
The dress Carol Hedin designed and modeled this year was called “Rainbow Connection.” She cut up recycled t-shirts and knotted them together. She said the Trashion Show is something she plans to continue for years to come.
Group two featured another mother-daughter duo. Nicki Stewart-Ingersoll, also known by her designer name Nicki Seven, got involved with the Trashion Show about nine years ago. She has always been interested in repurposing materials, but she said it was thrilling to find a community of people creating with trash.
The look she designed this year was made with pieces from her daughter’s old 15-foot trampoline. After a big storm in June 2024 destroyed the trampoline, Stewart-Ingersoll salvaged the metal and used the remaining safety netting for her dress.
"I decided to make a design out of that, and I did make it for my daughter who is 17,” Stewart-Ingersoll said. “She used to play on the trampoline and now this evening she will be wearing the trampoline. It's a little bit of a more sophisticated design, you know, appropriate for a 17-year-old, but I just love being able to find something to do with it and something that pulls her in and something that we can do together.”
At the end of each group, designers joined their models for a final walk. The emcees concluded the show by thanking each of the 2025 organizers.
For the full 2025 program or for ways to get involved, visit the Bloomington Trashion website.
