鈥淥ne man鈥檚 trash is another man鈥檚 treasure,鈥� as the proverb goes, and students took it to heart 鈥� and to the runway 鈥� during 乐播传媒鈥� 16th annual Trashion Show, and the first in-person edition since 2019. From Rococo royalty to cowgirl chic, students showed that trash 鈥渃补苍鈥�, as they blended creativity with sustainability and delivered this year鈥檚 hottest trashions.
To set the stage: It鈥檚 Nov. 16, the beginning of the holiday season at 乐播传媒. Outside Commons, horses鈥� hooves clip-clop on the pavement, the air鈥檚 cold enough to make you blink, and light glows from Commons windows; inside, students, staff, faculty, family, and friends are enjoying the Harvest Dinner.
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鈥檚 turn on the catwalk. Time is ticking, and in true academic fashion, the last few moments are the busiest.
The Trashion Show is produced by the student EcoReps, and for EcoRep Aneeza Ahmad 鈥�25 of Sharon, Mass., it鈥檚 a chance for students to have some fun, not take themselves 鈥渢oo seriously,鈥� and experience the spotlight, all while hearing some important messages about recycling and sustainability.
The event highlights the amount and variety of trash 乐播传媒 produces. As the students get hands-on with what they throw away 鈥� and the audience sees it all 鈥� Tom Twist, 乐播传媒鈥� sustainability manager, hopes they think a little more about the myriad ways they can reduce, reuse, and recycle.
The pandemic did a number on , as single-use and disposable products and packaging increased. All that trash 鈥渞eally played havoc with our system,鈥� says Twist, and the lull in habitual recycling took a toll on 乐播传媒鈥� waste management system, and on students鈥� habits.
Pre-pandemic, the 乐播传媒 recycling rate was around 30 percent, and now, it鈥檚 around 15 percent. 鈥淢ost students want to do the right thing, they just aren鈥檛 sure of the details,鈥� says Twist. The plan is to 鈥済et good recycling back on the radar, and build good habits.鈥�
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鈥檚 Trashion Show:
Rococo on the Runway
Above, 18th-century Rococo fashion is reimagined in the age of plastic as Bora Lugunda 鈥�25 of Kinshasa, Congo, models the second-place winning 鈥淢arie Antoinette en Plastique,鈥� a billowy chemise gown made from trash bags and plastic sheeting, and a 鈥渂erg猫re鈥� hat made from cardboard and brown packing paper, designed by Grace Acton ’24 of Harvard, Mass.
Acton took inspiration from Elisabeth Vig茅e Le Brun鈥檚 infamous 1783 portrait of the French royal, and reminded the audience that 鈥渋n Marie Antoinette鈥檚 day, the overconsumption of rapidly changing fashion was limited to the extremely wealthy 鈥� let our design be a reminder to not let fast fashion make you lose your head!鈥�
The Future is Now
Wearing a “puffy jacket-inspired” outfit and accessories made from discarded bubble wrap, chip bags, coupons, a mesh orange bag, and straws, Lily Ritch 鈥�25 of Cincinnati models a design by Emma Righter 鈥�23 of Clearwater, Fla., and Ella Lungstrum 鈥�23 of Brooklyn, N.Y.
They sewed and fused the plastics together as a patchwork, and used metallic touches to evoke a 鈥渇uturistic鈥� theme and their commitment to sustainability and 鈥渟porting sick 鈥檉its.'”
Coming to a Bookstore Near You
This year鈥檚 first-place winner had a height advantage: Miguel Pacheco 鈥�24 of San Jos茅, 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 鈥�25 of Evergreen, Colo.
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.
Yee-Haw(t) Couture
Leen Dockery 鈥�26 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.
Everything But the Pool
Representing the 乐播传媒 swimming and diving team, Quinn Macauley 鈥�24 of Wilmington, Del., wears a “mermaid-inspired” outfit made from trash and discarded swim gear collected from Tarbell Pool, designed by Talia Skaistis 鈥�25 of New York City, and Lianna Rosman 鈥�26 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.
Take a Sip, Babes
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 鈥渞educe, reuse, recycle.鈥�
Barlass added a choker made from bottle caps and shoes made from bubble wrap to complete the catwalk-ready creation.
Snacks on Snacks on Snacks
In a munchies-inducing outfit, Henry Welch 鈥�25 of Istanbul, Turkey, wears a 鈥渃hic, yet delicious鈥� outfit made of snack and candy bags, and shoes made from Goldfish cracker boxes, created by Welch, Ben Huston 鈥�25 of Vergennes, Vt., and Jonah Yaffe 鈥�26 of Dallas.
