{"id":149899,"date":"2022-11-18T09:59:53","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T14:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=149899"},"modified":"2023-01-24T17:50:52","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T22:50:52","slug":"bates-students-model-fashion-design-from-campus-trash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2022\/11\/18\/bates-students-model-fashion-design-from-campus-trash\/","title":{"rendered":"They don’t call it a trash can’t: Can-do students model fashion created from campus trash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cOne man\u2019s trash is another man\u2019s treasure,\u201d as the proverb goes, and students took it to heart \u2014 and to the runway \u2014 during Bates\u2019 16th annual Trashion Show, and the first in-person edition since 2019. From Rococo royalty to cowgirl chic, students showed that trash \u201ccan\u201d<\/em>, as they blended creativity with sustainability and delivered this year\u2019s hottest trashions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To set the stage: It\u2019s Nov. 16, the beginning of the holiday season at Bates. Outside Commons, horses\u2019 hooves clip-clop on the pavement, the air\u2019s cold enough to make you blink, and light glows from Commons windows; inside, students, staff, faculty, family, and friends are enjoying the Harvest Dinner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Harvest
It’s a packed Commons for the annual Harvest Meal served by Bates Dining prior to the Trashion Show on Nov. 16, 2022. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not far away, music booms from the Gray Athletic Building. Inside, behind those thumping speakers and black curtained stage, student designers are putting the final touches on their recycled creations and praying nothing falls off during the model\u2019s turn on the catwalk. Time is ticking, and in true academic fashion, the last few moments are the busiest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trashion Show is produced by the student EcoReps, and for EcoRep Aneeza Ahmad \u201925 of Sharon, Mass., it\u2019s a chance for students to have some fun, not take themselves \u201ctoo seriously,\u201d and experience the spotlight, all while hearing some important messages about recycling and sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Harvest
A student pats the nose of one of the horses giving wagon rides during the Harvest Meal on Nov. 16, 2022, prior to the annual Trashion Show. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of the soul.” <\/em>(Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The event highlights the amount and variety of trash Bates produces. As the students get hands-on with what they throw away \u2014 and the audience sees it all \u2014 Tom Twist, Bates\u2019 sustainability manager, hopes they think a little more about the myriad ways they can reduce, reuse, and recycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic did a number on recycling across the country<\/a>, as single-use and disposable products and packaging increased. All that trash \u201creally played havoc with our system,\u201d says Twist, and the lull in habitual recycling took a toll on Bates\u2019 waste management system, and on students\u2019 habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-pandemic, the Bates recycling rate was around 30 percent, and now, it\u2019s around 15 percent. \u201cMost students want to do the right thing, they just aren\u2019t sure of the details,\u201d says Twist. The plan is to \u201cget good recycling back on the radar, and build good habits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what better way to impress those habits on students than through a little music, good food, and a great show? Here are some of our favorites from this year\u2019s Trashion Show:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rococo on the Runway<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Bora Lugunda \u201925 of Kinshasa, Congo, models the second-place winning \u201cMarie Antoinette en Plastique.\u201d (Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Above, 18th-century Rococo fashion is reimagined in the age of plastic as Bora Lugunda \u201925 of Kinshasa, Congo, models the second-place winning \u201cMarie Antoinette en Plastique,\u201d a billowy chemise gown made from trash bags and plastic sheeting, and a \u201cberg\u00e8re\u201d hat made from cardboard and brown packing paper, designed by Grace Acton ’24 of Harvard, Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acton took inspiration from Elisabeth Vig\u00e9e Le Brun\u2019s infamous 1783 portrait of the French royal, and reminded the audience that \u201cin Marie Antoinette\u2019s day, the overconsumption of rapidly changing fashion was limited to the extremely wealthy \u2014 let our design be a reminder to not let fast fashion make you lose your head!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Future is Now<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Lily Ritch \u201925 of Cincinnati wears an outfit of plastic sewed and fused together as a patchwork. Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wearing a “puffy jacket-inspired” outfit and accessories made from discarded bubble wrap, chip bags, coupons, a mesh orange bag, and straws, Lily Ritch \u201925 of Cincinnati models a design by Emma Righter \u201923 of Clearwater, Fla., and Ella Lungstrum \u201923 of Brooklyn, N.Y. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They sewed and fused the plastics together as a patchwork, and used metallic touches to evoke a \u201cfuturistic\u201d theme and their commitment to sustainability and \u201csporting sick \u2019fits.'”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming to a Bookstore Near You<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Standing (or stilting) tall is Miguel Pacheco \u201924 of San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica. Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s first-place winner had a height advantage: Miguel Pacheco \u201924 of San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica, traded the stage for stilts, wearing a sweeping two-piece outfit, crown, and handbag made of recycled book covers, created by Sloan Phillips \u201925 of Evergreen, Colo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phillips collected the dust jackets throughout the semester while working at the library, and with the help of a few friends, turned them into the winning ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yee-Haw(t) Couture<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
A cowgirl-inspired outfit suits Leen Dockery \u201926 of Rye, N.Y., just fine. Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leen Dockery \u201926 of Rye, N.Y., wears a self-created, cowgirl-inspired outfit made from discarded cardboard from Parker Hall’s fourth-floor recycling bin. The two-piece outfit came with a hobby horse-esque bucking bronco, boots, and a classic cowgirl hat (seen tossed to the floor) also made from cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything But the Pool<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Quinn Macauley \u201924 of Wilmington, Del., used the trash of his sport, swimming, for his outfit. Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Representing the Bates swimming and diving team, Quinn Macauley \u201924 of Wilmington, Del., wears a “mermaid-inspired” outfit made from trash and discarded swim gear collected from Tarbell Pool, designed by Talia Skaistis \u201925 of New York City, and Lianna Rosman \u201926 of Bethesda, Md. Close inspection will reveal segments of an old lane line, pieces of a pull buoy, a dissected swim parachute, and several snorkels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a Sip, Babes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
This outfit work by Claire Barlass ’25 of Duluth, Minn., did double duty. Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Winning third place, Claire Barlass ’25 of Duluth, Minn., wore a self-designed “milk dress” made from discarded milk cartons from Commons, an outfit that served double-duty as her Halloween costume this year while showing the true spirit of \u201creduce, reuse, recycle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barlass added a choker made from bottle caps and shoes made from bubble wrap to complete the catwalk-ready creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snacks on Snacks on Snacks<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"The
A snack attack waiting to happen: Henry Welch \u201925 of Istanbul, Turkey. Phylllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a munchies-inducing outfit, Henry Welch \u201925 of Istanbul, Turkey, wears a \u201cchic, yet delicious\u201d outfit made of snack and candy bags, and shoes made from Goldfish cracker boxes, created by Welch, Ben Huston \u201925 of Vergennes, Vt., and Jonah Yaffe \u201926 of Dallas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cOne man\u2019s trash is another man\u2019s treasure,\u201d as the proverb goes, and students took it to heart \u2014 and to the runway \u2014 during the 16th annual Trashion Show, and the first in-person edition since 2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1422,"featured_media":149893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"The annual event highlights the amount and variety of trash Bates produces.","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":150037,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"Trash is King: Students model 'trashy' fashion for sustainability","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":"summary_large_image"},"categories":[130,232,224,11012],"tags":[3125,8805],"class_list":["post-149899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collaboration","category-environment-sustainability","category-society-culture","category-student-life","tag-ecoreps","tag-trashion-show"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1422"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149899"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":150038,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149899\/revisions\/150038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}