A bubble wrap bridal gown.

Patio umbrella fabric cargo pants.

A dress of VHS tape and electric cords.

A grocery bag tutu.

Plastic clothes???

Yes, these incredible items have all been on display at the annual Bainbridge Island Trashion Show.

Started in 2016 by fabric artist Naomi Spinak and members of Sustainable Bainbridge, the Trashion Show calls on artists in the community to marry their sewing skills to a sense of (re)purpose to create wearable art from upcycled, recycled, and repurposed materials.

The Trashion Show’s goals are to raise awareness about these serious impacts, and to highlight ways we can respond to these problems. We want to get our audience thinking about how we can all work to shrink the environmental impacts of our clothes. The Trashion Show helps with this by highlighting repurposing and reuse, mending and repair, and better purchasing and stewardship of the clothing we do own. And, we can make incredibly creative and fun clothing along the way!

Bainbridge Island is hardly the first community to host a trashion show — over the past several years, fashion shows that bring issues of sustainability and reuse to the forefront have blossomed around the country and the globe. It’s a great sign that we are increasingly aware that the fashion industry can reduce its environmental footprint while still creating inspirational, and enjoyable clothing.

Deb Rudnick, Ph.D., is an ecologist who is passionate about observing and stewarding the environment of Puget Sound. Deb received her doctorate in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Deb grew up connected to the fields, woods, marshes and meadows of New England, and slowly migrated westward, with stops in Colorado and California before setting down roots on Bainbridge Island. Deb has worked for federal, county and local governments, private industry, and has taught students from kindergarden to college. She is currently the K-5 Science Coordinator for the Bainbridge Island School District and the Chair of the Bainbridge Island Watershed Council, a program of Sustainable Bainbridge. She serves on the West Sound Program for Ecosystem Recovery’s Technical Advisory Committee, and on the City of Bainbridge Island’s Climate Change Advisory Committee. Deb loves to knit, birdwatch, cycle, garden and hang out with her family and their menagerie of dog, gerbil, and chickens.

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Thanks so much for your interest and your support.