2018 TRASHION SHOW

2018 Co-Chairs: Lousana Campagna and Patricia Intihar

Emcees: Shannon Dowling and James Sgambati

Judges: Mark Nichols, Lindsay Masters, Kelly Johnston, and John Nordgren

Tech/DJ: Kip Beelman

Photographer: Michelle Timme of Timme Photo

Featured Artist: Sulo Turner

Displays: Sakai Shoe Project, Esther’s Fabrics, hands-on art activity by BARN

Film: “Rag Pickers of Bainbridge Island” by Liesl Clark

Volunteers: Diane Landry, Wendy Jones, Jane Martin, Dawn Snider, Rachel Knudsen, Meloni Courtway and Sofia Campagna

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TRASHION COUTURE

“Flora and Poca” by Lyra Cromwell

Flora And Poca is a colorful, multilayered garment made from Lays chip bags, surplus leis from Ovation! Musical Theatre’s recent production of South Pacific, and several trash bags. It was designed to draw attention to Hawaii’s current issue with surplus trash. A convergence of unfortunately placed currents is causing literally tons of garbage, of which over half is un-recycled plastic, to wash up on north- and east-facing beaches every year in a grim reminder that plastic can never really be thrown away.

“Retro Spring” byKatelyn Ziegenhagen of Olympic College Visual Arts department

This outfit is modeled by its creator, Katelyn Ziegenhagen, an art student at Olympic College. Made from current event and modern fashion magazines, Retro Spring strives to emulate the classic feel of a vintage style dress while reusing new ideas and old paper. The dress lining is constructed with leftover shop towels and hot glue. Old books and magazines scavenged from “to be recycled” piles from libraries and books stores comprise the outer fabric. Discarded bottle caps act as buttons to bring the outfit together.

”Green Goddess” by Camille Heidemann

Camille named her dress Green Goddess as it is made of Recycled or Green Materials. The top of the dress is woven plastic grocery store bags. As some of the bags were too short we had to tie them together to weave them. The bottom half of the dress is a patchwork of bubble wrap. Tape was used to keep the pattern is place. Matching bubble wrap flowers are the finishing touches on the dress and hair. 

“Moving Forwards” by Olivia Vessenes, worn by her sister, Esme Vessenes 2018 Kids Award

Moving Forwards symbolizes the synthesis of classical culture and the culture of the near future. The style of the dress is inspired by ballet costume design. The materials used were grocery bags, a neighbor’s house paint, and packaging from a new couch the designer’s family purchased. Moving Forwards also symbolizes the designer’s hope for the near future. The dress uses materials that will continue to be easily available and conveys the hope for design with reused materials to be on the rise. Fundamentally, this outfit is about using our past experiences and culture to help build the future we all want to live in.

“Setaliy” by Annie Walsh

This piece, called “Setaliy” is inspired by springtime. I’ve always loved the idea of taking trash and turning it into something wearable, so I wanted to make more of an everyday look. The raw materials used are newspapers, paint, glue, tape, plastic wrap, waterproof paper, string, soda can tabs, and an old notecard holder. To make the top I wrapped my amazing model in plastic wrap, glued painted flowers on her, wrapped her up in tape, then cut her out. The skirt is four painted pieces of newspaper with a hole cut out and overlaid with waterproof paper.

 ”Marshall Strawberry Farmer” by Jennifer Kakutani, worn by her daughter, Alita Kakutani

Introducing the Marshall strawberry farmer, a Japanese girl wearing the latest in paper workwear. Her apron and hat are paper box pints as well as faux indigo dyed brown bags. She carries a basket sewn out of bailing twine with strawberries made from discarded wax. 
Hundreds of acres of Marshall strawberries once covered Bainbridge Island from the 1930’s and on.  It was know as the tastiest, juiciest strawberry around. Bainbridge was famous for it. Now it’s at risk of extinction.

”Bubble Scrap Gown” by Boys and Girls Club run by Katey Rissi, by Harper Flynn (9), Jorie Coleman (10), Jasmine Brooks (7); worn by Harper Flynn

Bubble Wrap Gown: designed by Jorie Coleman, Harper Flynn, and Jasmine Brooks and modeled by Harper Flynn. This outfit is the culmination of a season’s worth of collaborative creative work sessions, made in the art program at the Boys and Girls Club. Inspired by the texture of bubble wrap and the opportunity for layering, Jorie, Harper, and Jasmine attached hundreds of pieces of scrap paper beneath the bubble wrap. The result is colorful and detailed, and shows off the beauty of cast-off materials and the by-products of the club’s art making. Leftover paper rescued from the recycling was used to create criss-cross straps in neon green. Leggings were created from soda rings. Finally, a handbag was created using green bubble wrap. This outfit reflects the designers interest in being resourceful, noticing interesting elements in materials that are usually considered waste, and an appreciation for color, playfulness, and fun shapes. Inspired by this project, other kids at the Boys and Girls Club have created their own outfits too, and through activities like this, we have developed a group appreciation for reusing and making use of all materials – from granola bar boxes to old play-doh tubs.

“DragOn Queen” by Michelle White, worn by her daughter, Carson

“Drag On Queen” was created by Michelle White, worn by her daughter Carson, and has many meanings. This is where fantasy is inspired by reality. Where the mythic and mundane collide.

The Dragon headpiece is made on a cardboard base from old packing boxes. Toilet paper rolls, an egg carton, plastic spoons, shredded brown paper, and juice pouches adorn the mask.

The collar was made by quilling strips of magazine pages, gluing them to a cardboard base, and trimmed with folded tinfoil. It was influenced by the many ancient cultures Michelle and her youngest child have been studying lately, particularly the spectacular beaded collars of Africa, to represent the strong and resilient indigenous peoples.

The outfit was constructed out of clear plastic bags, duct tape, juice pouches, bread bags, and torn paper parasols. Her nails were made by twisting magazine pages into points and covered with silver duct tape.

The influence from one of the most feared mythical creatures is meant to give a nod to the braveness that lies within us all, glittering like the hide of a dragon.  Carson wanted to celebrate the LGBQT community by getting her “Drag on”, as well. This outfit represents, above all, the modern day woman warrior. Fight for what you believe in and continue to Drag on, Queen, even when you are weary from the battle.

 “Modern Industrial Flapper Ensemble” by Therese Kunzi-Clark, worn by Soleil Cowen-Kwan

The silver sparkle of the obsolete stove hood filter caught my eye and gave me the inspiration to craft the Modern Industrial Flapper Ensemble. I paired “the industrial fabric” with many different size washers. The washers in this application are small flat rings made of metal, and traditionally used with nuts and bolts, not to confuse with the big machines that wash your clothes. An old fabric shower curtain provides the lining of the dress. The flapper head band has imaginary feathers made out of parts of an old vegetable steamer basket. The steamer basket parts are also included on the footwear. Extra paint left from Halloween helped to give the washers a bit more couture refinement.

“Conversations 2018” by Andrew Rovelstad, worn by Charlotte Rovelstad 2018 1st Place Winner

1) “Hey dude Check this out You really got to try it on.”

2) “It’s kind of boring –— cardboard, rolls of old paper and rusty metal?

1) “But there’s something about it—. The shape and form—kind of traditional, kind of sexy—definitely a party dress.”

2) “Cardboard treated like fabric?”

1) “It’s woven with tradition gives it order—and it bends to the forms of the body-

2) “Rope from a Tug Boat?”

1) “It from Dave Ullin’s tug boat– He is like the father of sustainability- Deconstruction Dave– all those tiny pieces of fiber collectively can pull a ship . I think we can learn something about community”

2) “And what’s with the jewelry—where did it come from? Kind of harsh for a formal evening dress—RUST???—”

1) “The contrast of iron oxide next to skin is kind of beautiful, maybe it says something about nature, how frail we are?”

2) “And then those poofy things on the sleeve, they look like old rolls of drawings.”

1) “Some gesture of history—”

2) “ehhhh: boring—but– they are loose and full of circles and flow with movement.”

1) “Interesting. Kind of like road-warrior going to the opera?”

2) “Maybe Eco-warrior? Really–You gotta try this on.”

1) “Screw the Opera—Let’s go dancing.”

2) “I sure hope it fits?”

“Aquamarine” by Ava Campagna, Evelyn Intihar, & Alita Kakutani, worn by Evelyn Intihar

Three friends, who always wanted to be that mystical creature, the Mermaid, took this opportunity to turn one of the girls into one. They were inspired by the magical mermaids in “Peter and the Starcatcher” play at BPA. This hardworking trio turned plastic chicken feed bags, dozens of egg cartons, newspaper, old costume jewelry, and seashells from their backyard beach into their very own mermaid, named “Aquamarine.”

“The Dress of a Million Words” Origami Dress by Hiromi Yoshinaga, worn by her daughter Nicoletta 2018 2nd Place Winner

Only two simple materials were used to create this dress – paper and glue. She saw numerous numbers of old books and encyclopedias were discarded. She rescues and collects these books to give them a new purpose. Hiromi has done many small projects using book pages, however, this is her very first piece to submit in a show. Residing here on Bainbridge Island and with her Japanese roots, she felt blending both the Japanese culture with Western material was an appropriate collaboration for this project and to honor Japanese Americans on Bainbridge Island. Each book pages were torn out from books, cut by hand, and folded precisely in order to have all pieces fit and glued together.

Her daughter Nicoletta is proudly wearing the dress. Her hair was carefully styled with origami book pages of flowers and intertwined with her natural long dark hair.

“Future Trashion Couture” by Stella Rae & Trine Targett, worn by Stella Rae 2018 ZW Award Winner

In this digital age, we are increasingly using the internet to order our goods ultimately ending up with weekly packaging material.  Brown boxes, bubble wrap and plastics are associated with the delivery of our online purchases.  When we do go to a brick and mortar store we also do not have a paperless or non plastic solutions yet.  We strive towards a paperless society however mail order catalogues and paper advertising still inundate our mailboxes. For our Trashion design we were inspired to used the concept of shredding our junk mail in response to seeking more control of our privacy rights.  We aimed to create a stylish futuristic outfit to express how these packaging materials exist in our daily lives.  Our goal as a result of this project is to be more aware of bringing our reusable bags to the store, purchase less and consolidate where possible. Materials –  Paper shopping bags, brown boxes, bubble wrap, gift wrap leftovers, can tops, bottle caps, bottled water, shredded catalogues and junk mail.

“The Dark Surrounds” by Mckayla SewNSew 2018 3rd Place Winner

My second entry is created from a crocheted and woven variety of audio cables, obsolete computer cables, broken phone cords, orphan power cords, derelict electrical wire, old VHS tapes, elastic, wire, copper, plastic bags, cassette tapes, and defunct stereo cables.  This dress is a stiff reality of the obstacles that we over come in life and the armor that each challenge we overcome inspires us to grow.

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REPURPOSED FASHION

“Palimpsest” by Baeven Hoit, worn by her sister, Anaïs Hoit

Palimpsest. Noun: a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing, but of which traces remain.

I like the idea of a character who doesn’t know what time they are from – they just kind of flip between them. Where America is a melting pot of cultures in the spatial plane, this costume represents a melting in the temporal plane. It is worn by a femme fatal, a woman of mystery and refinement who stands against the danger in the shadows. She is a heroine in a spy movie of neon and rain taking place in a 1950s jazz club under the earth with lasers and leather, smelling of antique shops, caves and used bookstores. Constructed out of three dresses, faux leather, DVDs, copper wire, paper, and ink, I see this costume as a mass of contradictions, that you make work, and in doing so make interesting. The inspirations are the TV series Firefly and the Twilight Zone, as well as the movies Blade Runner and The Shape of Water.

“Patchwork Sock Couture Ensemble” by Lily Diament-Hansen, worn by her daughter, Lara Hansen

Re-use, re-cycle, re-purpose has been my mantra for decades. My daughter, Lara, the lovely young lady modeling her sweater and skirt ensemble, had been saving moth eaten cashmere garments in the hope we’d one day have enough for me to turn them into a blanket throw. When she challenged me to submit something to the Trashion show, knowing we both had some beautiful albeit well-worn if not worn out socks, I immediately thought sweater. When I realized I needed to submit an ensemble, I began asking friends to cull their socks for donations.

My imagination and sewing skills were put to the test. First, I cut squares and rectangles utilizing the parts of the socks that were not threadbare. These blocks were ‘hemmed’ so they would not unravel. Though I took basic measurements from one of my daughter’s sweaters, I did not use a pattern for either garment. I began piecing together two front panels, a back panel, and two sleeves. Using embroidery floss I utilized a blanket stitch to attach the pieces.

A simple wrap skirt to finishes off the ensemble. All the buttons are repurposed from my mom’s button collection, which Lara inherited from her grandmother, who had been salvaging buttons from discarded clothing. The 3 snaps used to secure the skirt, were taken from the lining of a coat I’d previously owned.

This ensemble was created thanks to 3 generations of re-purposers.

Deb DeBeauchamp’s Olympic College Fashion Marketing Class, “Sugar” worn by Katy Robocker, “Spice” worn by Lauren Day

The next 2 entries are by students of Deb DeBeauchamp’s Olympic College Fashion Marketing class. Our fashion students went to Goodwill in East Bremerton with a very limited budget. They also “shopped their closets” for accessories. We had two student groups work as design teams (Project Runway style) and these are the results.

“Sugar” worn by Katy Robocker 2018 3rd Place Winner

Made from a tulle skirt, fabric remnants, wired craft materials, and used beads.

“Spice” worn by Lauren Day.

They used a tulle skirt and corset belt, Styrofoam and fabric.

“The Bold Diva” by Moorea Eldon-Everts

This next design was created and is being modeled by Moorea Eldon-Everts, a sophomore at Bainbridge High School. The materials she used in her apparel include various items of cloth and clothing collected from garage sales, clothing exchanges, and hand-me-downs. In her design she is featuring vintage jeans that have been shaped and altered with a peek-a-boo knee cut out and a fringed terminus just above the ankle. The top of her outfit features a distressed turtleneck with an overlaid top, decorated to draw the eye from the profusion of color around the waist up to the bedecked neckline.

“A Dress to Inspire” by Lily Lashmet, worn by Anna Wilder

The dress to inspire. The act of taking something old and making it into something new. I took out-of-season/used clothes and made them into something you might find in the store now. It’s inspired by both environmental impact and the model. Because the outfit should fit you not the other way around. This is an original design with lots of personality. It combined Anna’s creativity and free spirit, in the feather embellishments, flowing skirt and sleeves. Made of an old jean jacket, lace dress, blue dress, old T-shirt and lace roll.

“Working Man Blues” by Susan Skalak, worn by her daughter, Linden Skalak 2018 2nd Place Winner

This ensemble is made from a working man’s wardrobe:  dress shirts, a suit and blue jeans.  This design can take a working girl to new places.  My goal when designing with used pieces of clothing is to new life to the cloth, embodying a high fashion sensibility into a fresh statement.

The jeans were used to make a vest influenced by Christian Dior’s New Look, which was Paris’ return to high fashion after World War II.  The bodice is fitted to the waist and flared below the hip.  I cut the jeans to make the 8 pieces in this design, which uses princess seams.  The waist band from the jeans is used at the front waist and a seam with top stitching is used down the back.  The vest is lined using men’s shirts and has a hidden pocket on the inside.

The shirt is fitted, and again uses princess seams.  The shirt uses three different men’s shirts to make the pieces and the cuffs.  The back is decorated with sashiko stitching and linen patches.  The buttons are mismatched leftover buttons from Esther’s Fabrics.

The skirt is inspired by the Edwardian Walking skirt.  The skirt used the suit pants and sleeves from a men’s suit.  Because of the length of the skirt, the suit pieces were joined together using scraps from a rayon skirt. Princess seams define the line of the skirt, and the closure uses 15 shirt buttons.  Voila!

“Sponge Mob Happy Place” by Janelle Abbott 2018 1st Place Winner

This piece is modeled by Seattle based artist, Janelle Abbott, who is one half of the duo, FEMAIL. Along with LA based artist Camilla Carper, the pair makes clothing by mailing pieces back and forth through the USPS, each adding on and reworking with every pass, in what they call “reactive collaboration”.

From FEMAIL’s second collection of one of a kind garments titled “Sponge Mob Happy Place” we have “Cry Me a River, Irene” featuring Alexy’s eyes, Janelle’s former neon jogging sweat shirt, a found blue tarp, reinvented quilting project including a pizza delivery car banner, Abbott family drop cloth/bed sheet, hand painted images and shapes (house paint), a faux fur braid, among other odd ball bits and pieces reclaimed clothing and textiles from the personal wardrobes of the garments makers, Camilla Carper and Janelle Abbott, also known as FEMAIL.

Learn more at: www.femailforever.com or on Instagram @femailforever

“Dressed for Dinner” by Sandy Schubach

Setting a pretty table is one of my favorite pleasures – I have more tablecloths and napkins than is probably legal, and I am truly sad when they reach the point to be tossed away. The floral tablecloth in this outfit is one of the first fair-trade purchases I ever made, well over a decade ago. What better way to keep it going than in a flowery jacket and using the matching napkins for the fun border.  An old solid green tablecloth makes the capris.  The clutch purse is from one of my husband’s old Tony Soprano style shirts. Ribbon trim has been salvaged from a never-completed art project from the last century.  I’m happy to keep these pretty fabrics alive as wearable art! 

“Rainbow Starter” by Azalea Snowmassara

Azalea had a hard time thinking about what she wanted her dress to be made out of. Her mom, Mckayla also a Trashion show creator, helped brainstorm ideas and they decided it should be a rainbow of colors all out of order. She finds her chosen materials inspiring because purple is her favorite color and she likes the idea of reusing items to create something from scratch. She would like to offer encouragement to the audience to create something for next years’ Trashion show.

“As the Light Blooms” by Mckayla SewNSew

Dreams of exploring grandmother’s attic, opening antique trunks to find handmade lace created by generations of love and intentional moments suspended in time by precise fingers…The wisp of a butterflies gossamer wing as you glance through the translucence at the sunshine glare…a well laid table runner set with your mothers blooming dahlias harvested at the proper minute of blossom…. Through each memory our connections weave our history into a quilt, stitch by stitch as tender and ragged as our tears…with each glimpse our empathy can grow, inspired by each other, extended well beyond the intention of the moment…To create a current that carries the flow, turning each ripple into a movement engaging a momentum that we can harness and share with each other… When we recognize our ability and necessity to collaborate in the creation of intention.

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EMCEES

Shannon Dowling

Shannon is thrilled to be involved in the BI Trashion Show for her third year.  Doing introductions the first year and having the pleasure of modeling the winning pret-a-porter design last year. Emceeing with James Sgambati and working with this amazing team of organizers, designers, models and volunteers is an exciting next step.  In her daily life, Shannon is the owner/instructor of the BI Vocal studio, where she teaches voice lessons and audition preparation for stage, TV, and film.  She sings and plays flute with multiple island bands (check out the Cuban Heels second Fridays at Earth & Vine Wine Bar), and this summer will be acting and music directing InD Theatre’s production of “Closed for Maintenance” June 7 & 8 at Rolling Bay Hall, and directing “Good Stuff” for Island Theatre’s “10 Minute Play Festival” August 17 & 18 at Bainbridge Performing Arts. She is represented by MAM Artists for her professional acting and modeling work. Special thanks go to Patricia and Lousana for making this an amazing event!!!

James Sgambati

James is excited to be working with Bainbridge Island Zero Waste and these wonderful designers for the 2018 Trashion Show. He is no stranger to the stages of Bainbridge Island, having performed with many local theaters.  He appeared as Lord Farquaad (Shrek: The Musical) and many others role at Bainbridge Performing Arts including Rod (Avenue Q) with Shannon Dowling. As well as work in Kitsap County, James has performed in the Seattle area and around California’s Sacramento Valley. This May you can catch him playing the title role in “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” at Bremerton Community Theater.

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JUDGES

Lindsay Masters 

Lindsay Masters is Executive Director of The Art Project, the nonprofit art gallery formerly known as Bainbridge Arts & Crafts.  Prior to coming on board at TAP, Lindsay served as publicity manager for Arts & Humanities Bainbridge. From 2007-2009, she was a staff writer at the Bainbridge Island Review, where she covered culture and the arts.

Mark Nichols

Mark Nichols has been active in theatre and music for half a century and has participated somehow in hundreds of shows; he is no stranger to costumes of all sorts! He is a theatrical designer with specialties in lighting and scenery and quite accustomed to making magic from little-to-nothing and leftovers.

His 30-year career included running a theatre/concert venue, producing and designing projects globally for Disney, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and dozens of others until he quit it all to elope with Blair, get his MFA in theatre and move to Bainbridge Island.

Less than a year later, he was hired as the first Executive Director for Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network to shepherd their quantum leap from small to huge. Be sure to visit any of BARN’s 11 artisan studios to explore your own creativity (shameless plug #1). Mark has now returned to his roots and is designing and building shows for Bainbridge Performing Arts such as Xanadu which opens May 4^th (shameless plug #2).

For full understanding of why he is simply not normal, visit his website: www.MANicEndeavors.com.

Kelly Johnston

Kelly Johnston is a local artist. Her vibrant paintings are inspired by the water and skies of the Pacific Northwest. Kelly earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Washington in 2000. In addition to painting, she has worked in the interior design industry and created a line of handmade jewelry. Kelly returned to painting in 2013 and has since exhibited her work at the Bloedel Reserve, West Elm, Anthropologie, and numerous other venues throughout the Pacific Northwest. She was recently featured in Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine, HGTV Magazine, and Domino Magazine. Her work can also be found in three collections of limited edition prints available on Minted.com, McGaw Graphics and through Sebastian Foster. Kelly lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington with her husband and two children.

John Nordgren

John is Managing Director of the Climate Resilience Fund, a philanthropic collaborative focused on addressing the impacts of climate change. For the past 25 years he has worked on numerous environmental policy and conservation science issues at organizations in Washington DC, Boston, and Southeast Michigan. He moved with his family to Bainbridge Island in 2013 and currently keeps his carbon footprint small by working from a home office. In his spare time John paddles his kayak and hikes the beaches and trails of the greater Puget Sound area, where he wages a personal campaign against plastic waste, especially straws.

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Thank you to our 2018 Sponsors!

IslandWood

Jefferson Fine Homebuilders

Patti Shannon & Diane Sugden of Windermere Real Estate

Bainbridge Disposal

Kitsap Bank

Sash Mercantile

Timme Photo

Esther’s Fabrics

Eleven Winery

Hildebrand Cleaners

Grounds for Change

Alchemy Goods

Blackbird Bakery

And thanks to our Arts Partners: The Art Project (TAP), Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA), Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN), and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA)

 

2017 Trashion Show

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2017 Co-Chairs: Naomi Spinak and Michelle White

Emcee: Rebecca Rockefeller

Tech: Reed Price, Deb Rudnick, and Marcia Lagerloef

Volunteers: Diane Landry, Elizabeth Cromwell, Annie Fanberg, Barb Zimmer, Dawn Snider, Marcy Lagerloef, Marci Burkel, Jane Martin, Wendy the model wrangler

Photographers: Espen Swanson and John Williams

Home Goods Artists: Jeanette Franks, Sandra Leese, Alchemy, Jillian Darnell-Bourke, Bayla Rosenkotz, Kit Laws

Sculptors: Steve Parmelee and Diane Haddon

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Meet our Judges

Dawn Weber got her first sewing machine at 8 years old and immediately recycled her mom’s sewing scraps into a closet of strapless Barbie dresses. She has since moved on to sew everything from handbags to apparel to quilts, preferring to work with fabulous fabrics like vintage sparkle cherry vinyl. Some of her favorite re-purposing projects include making a symphony dress for her daughter out of an old brocade shower curtain and a messenger bag from a Uhaul moving blanket. You might recognize her from Esther’s Fabrics, where she worked for several years. She now works as an academic advisor at Tacoma Community College, as well as the co-Executive Director (and sometimes performer) for Olympic Performance Group, a Bainbridge based pre-professional dance company. Dawn wishes she could live every day in a 1950s cocktail dress; her daily mantra is care of Coco Chanel: “Keep your head, heels, and standards high!”

Alaina Capoeman greets you all in Quinailthcha- Oonugwitoo! She is a citizen of the Quinault Nation, a dancer, a canoe puller, and a regalia maker. Alaina enjoys living in the beautiful Port Madison Reservation and is honored to work for the Suquamish Tribes Child Welfare Department. 

She wishes the best of luck to the artists here tonight!

Michael B. Maine is a socially engaged creative who uses media to address issues of underrepresentation and misrepresentation. In his role as a photographer, he uses images to help create experiences to explore subjects such as identity, prejudice, and individuality. Combining philosophies and practices from visual media, business, and social equity provides Michael with a perspective that often allows him to serve as a bridge between people to encourage meaningful conversation, collaboration, and action.

He is currently board president of Reel Grrls (a youth media program) and Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking. In his leisure time, Michael enjoys playing basketball, reading sci-fi books, and playing video games.

Leatrice Eiseman is a color specialist who has been called “the international color guru.”  Her color expertise is recognized internationally, especially as a prime consultant to Pantone, the leaders in color communication and specification. She has helped many companies to make the best and most educated choice of color for product development, brand imaging, interior/exterior design, fashion and cosmetics, or any other application where color choice is invaluable to the success of the product or environment.   Lee is also involved in color and trend forecasting for both fashion and home.

 She heads the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and is also executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Lee has been widely quoted in many publications and recognized by Fortune Magazine and the Wall St. Journal as one of the most influential people in the world of color. She is the author of nine books on color and delivers seminars worldwide. She is also a sought-after speaker for trade shows, schools, in-house business presentations, and webinars on color trends, the psychology of color and its usage as well as consumer color preferences and also offers classes on those subjects twice yearly in both Washington state and California. The next program will be held on Bainbridge Island in Washington in July 2017.

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Category One: Upcycled Trashion/ Pret-a-Porter

Brynn Lashmet’s Tie Dress, worn by her daughter Emily

This Tie-riffic children’s dress was inspired by a messy closet, two wonderful daughters, and need of a creative outlet. Bryn really admires those who can creatively up-cycle clothing and furniture.  She dabbles in re-inventing found objects within her home. Much to her families’ chagrin.  Inspired by her daughter, Lily, she decided to try out her artsy will in fashion design.  Her willing model, Emily Lashmet, ready to take it for a spin. This piece materialized from a messy closet where Bryn discovered 3 plastic ziploc bags of men’s dress ties.  These were perfect for an up-cycle project.  Re-inventing her Father-in-laws ties from the 1960’s and 70’s felt like a positive way to honor his past professional years.  And what better way to do it than to make a dress for his grand-daughter.  Creating this dress has been a challenge with many learning moments and a pleasure.

Holly (Jim)—Retro Afghan Rainbow Vest and Skirt with Pussy Hat worn by the Artist

Holly is modeling his own outfit – a retro afghan rainbow skirt & vest with pussy hat. This project began with a granny square afghan, a few crocheted & knitted oddments, and a decorative gold cord, all thrift store finds. Add the cord to the afghan and voila – a skirt! Holly then consulted old afghan patterns to crochet a vest which incorporates the thrift store pieces and complements the skirt. The back panels which flow down into tails are made from 2 thrift store strips plus 1 knitted by Holly. The vest has several floral-themed squares, including the rose pockets – one from a thrift store & the other crocheted to match. It is edged with crocheted rainbow chevrons and has a shell pattern collar with black picot trim. Paisley-themed pieces accent the shoulders & back, and a lace chain stitch connects it all together. Topping off the outfit is a pussy hat knitted by Holly for the Women’s March. A forearm accent was created from thrift store doilies attached with recycled elastic. The accent as well as the vest and hat are embellished with reused metal pins, which reveal some of Holly’s interests & causes, past & present. This is the most ambitious & creative needlework project that Holly has attempted, and the challenge has been uplifting. Thank you!

Shannon Dowling is wearing Just Keep Swimming by Artist Naomi Spinak

This outfit is inspired by about 20 pairs of old denim jeans that could not be repaired because the holes were in embarrassing places. Naomi’s family members and her local Buy Nothing Bainbridge group donated many of the jeans. Now they have a new life as a new pair of jeans. Shannon is wearing an assymetrical tunic constructed from drapery scraps and accented with embellishments from swimsuits from the Bainbridge Island Masters team—stretch polyester spandex swim suit material is not only non-recyclable but starts to break down the moment it hits that chlorinated water. Naomi noticed that as a swimmer she is constantly creating worn out swimsuits and wondered what other life they could have. Finally, Shannon’s outfit is completed with a Grounds for Change coffee bag clutch, accented again with swim suits. Shannon is wearing her own shoes.

Michelle White designed this summer outfit worn by understudy Mirit-—Here Comes the Sun

The jean jacket in this ensemble was made from actual jeans. Michelle deconstructed two pairs of her teenager’s old jeans, using the waistband for the waist of the jacket. She turned panels inside out for a contrast. The back of the jacket was embellished with scraps of fabric, sewn on for a burst of color. The dress was made from a Men’s western shirt. She took the cuffs from the shirt, and turned them into the peplum for a rockabilly flair. And finally the hat started out as strips of two t-shirts, that were finger crocheted together. The feathers were made from pages of an old torn book of fairy tales.

Susan Skalek– Kashmir and Dots

Melissa McCulloch is wearing Susan’s Kashmir and Dots. This coat was made from a worn men’s cashmere jacket.  There was wear on the bottom of the jacket and on the sleeves.  The jacket was cut apart and sewn back together in a princess line adding to the coat were materials that I had in my studio, which included more wool on the side panels.  Once recut, the sleeves had to be lengthened using the same fabric as the side panels.  The coat lining was able to be reused as it was.  The bias trim came from leftovers from another sewing project.  The velvet-covered buttons were made from a recycled dress.  The back appliqué was made using scraps from cutting the jacket, and embroidered onto the jacket using embroidery thread.   The skirt was made from men’s recycled pants and some leftover checked silk.  The applique on the skirt was made from leftover wool and recycled buttons, and new beads and sewn on with embroidery thread.  The shirt is an upcycled t-shirt cut and resewn.

 Susan is wearing an outfit she created– London Fog

This coat started with the deconstruction of a wool raincoat from the 1980s.  It was recut into a princess line bodice with a 1/2 circle skirt.  To accommodate the fuller skirt, fabric from men’s suit pants.  Piping was used to highlight the princess lines in the bodice.  The coat was embellished using ribbon; hand stitching the ribbon in a random manner over the cuffs and collar and pockets.  The closures use handmade buttons, and cording.  The back uses a ribbon highlight at the waist.  The skirt is a repurposed velvet skirt that has been modified using pleats.  The top is a linen shirt that has been recut and restyled.

Lyra Cromwell designed and created Brisemoule modeled by Riley Fanberg

Brisemoule is a take on several traditional Disney princess dresses. It is made of old curtains and bathrobes, cut and recombined to form a more elaborate garment from stained trash. Its name, Brisemoule is a slurring of the French briser moule, or ‘breaking mould’. It symbolizes a breaking of the mould of traditional fairytale princesses, who rise from low status and never look back. It serves as a reminder of how everything new and extravagant is built atop a previous innovation, often destroying its precursor in the process.

Whoretense (Dennis) Lacy Leisure Suit with Matching Hat modeled by Artist

Whoretense models his own festive outfit with both hand built and embellished second hand components. Shoes, pants, and jacket are thrift shop finds. The white jean pants are jazzed up with a hand made pair of chaps made from lace curtains and embellished with decorative lace tape found at a garage sale. The vest is entirely hand made using a serger machine from an old tablecloth that was cut to take advantage of its already decorative edge. The jacket with brocade lapel is a junk shop find that Whoretense up-cycled using Mexican white lace curtain panels that he again takes advantage of their own beautifully scalloped edges. Finally, the hat was hand made using white plastic “buckram” mesh molded onto a home-made foam core form with a heat gun, and decorated with a used lace ribbon and bow. Used eyewear and a hand-made lace tie complete this one of a kind look. Whoretense does not knit, crochet, tat, or weave. He can hand sew, but not very well. This is his first project using a sewing machine. Thank-you!

Sue Van Duine designed Boro, Boro, Boro! It is modeled by Deanna Wilkes-Gibbs

Sue Van Duine and Mary Ann Tollefson have collaborated this year with two very different fashions using Boro patchwork techniques. Sue’s Boro, Boro, Boro is fashioned after the original look of Boro when it first emerged in the 17th and 18th century in Japan as part of the practicality aesthetic of that time which was embraced by artisans, merchants and the working class…… “Use everything, Waste nothing”. Boro means “rags” or “scraps of cloth” and even the tiniest scrap was saved and reused as a patch on clothing or quilts. For this project, Sue cut up parts of about 8-10 pair of blue jeans she’d been saving, and some resale finds to include 3 men’s shirts, pajama pants, a woman’s skirt and shirt, and many scraps of reused fabrics. All were tea dyed first, to give them an old and worn look. Sue took on the challenge of using every part of the blue jeans she could so there would be very little waste. See if you can spot some of the ways parts were used to accomplish this as Deanna models the Kimono jacket, pants, and hat Sue has created. Original Boro designs were created using squares and rectangles. Sue did the same…..and exercised a bit of creative license as well. If you look closely at the stitching on the patches you will see many different patterns. Sue incorporated many original Boro stitching patterns and created many new ones.  Cotton and hemp fibers were used in original Boro stitching. Sue used cotton string and tea dyed it to look old.
The stitching is called “Sashiko” and it is as important to the Boro aesthetic as the patchwork. These stitching techniques were used to make the patches stronger and the garments warmer. Deanna’s hat was created with leftover scraps pieced and sewn together . Sue saw the hat in a piece of Japanese art from the 17th century and copied the design. Next, Mary Ann Tollefson will show how design aesthetics from long ago like Boro, can inspire fashion today. “Boro” that is sophisticated, smart, and reused.

Maryanne Tollefson—Upcycled Denim Swing jacket with Coordinating Cotton Knit Short Skirt—worn by the Artist

For Mary Ann, the most fun in creating an outfit for the Trashion Fashion Event is a self-imposed challenge to design something actually wearable from used clothing.  She likes the engineering aspect of figuring out how to use as much of the original garments as possible, including leftovers such as jean belt loops and t-shirt neck bindings.  Many of these garments would otherwise have been tossed out, and therefore major disposal problems.   In her outfit today she has worked with a tie-dyed jean jacket that had been in her closet since the 1980s, two pairs of very worn men’s jeans, and two cotton men’s T-shirts – one from 1999 and the other from 2001.  She opened up the jean jacket to lengthen it and give a looser feel.  She also incorporated many of the parts removed from the jeans, such as waistbands, pockets, and belt loops to add structure and decoration.  The coordinating cotton knit skirt was made by simply combining pieces from each t-shirt, sometimes in double layers. By pure chance, she found these two appropriate colors in her very old stack of salvaged shirts.  She plans on getting much more use out of the pieces in this outfit now that she has spent fun time and effort into making them ‘new’ and wearable again.