The second annual Trashion Show was held on March 10 in the Kaneff Rotunda. The event was hosted by Creatives For a Change, Zero Waste UTM, UTMSU, and Greenwood. The theme of the night was “Rebellion”—a protest against the fast fashion industry.
The 2020 Trashion Show was part of UTM’s first ever Sustainability Week, which promotes the importance of preserving the well-being of the environment by reusing materials and preventingwaste. In particular, the Trashion Show wanted to bring awareness to fashion and how it impacts the environment. Notably, the MC of the night explained that the production of one cotton T-shirt uses about two years of drinking water.
Having attended the first Trashion Show at UTM, the show was a major upgrade from last year. The show was held in the Kaneff Rotunda rather than the Blind Duck Pub, so there was more space for the models to strut the designers’ outfits. Audience members were seated back-to-back so the models had to make turns as they walked the long runway.
Music was played throughout the night by Toronto’s DJ Miramira. Meanwhile, artwork by clubs and individual artists were displayed around the atrium.
The organization Greenpeace showcased a sculpture of a mother penguin feeding garbage to its baby. They were surrounded by litter and single-use plastic cups from major corporations, such as: McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola. So, instead of feeding her baby actual food, the mother was handing it the garbage around them. This powerful image showed that our temporary cups and litter have a lasting impact on wildlife and the ecosystem.
Eight designers took part in the event, with more than thirty models and outfits showcased. The creativity and talent the designers exhibited through their creations were astonishing.
Six judges sat in the panel, including the Dean of UTM Amrita Daniere. The judges based the winning designers on outfits that stemmed around sustainability and presentation.
The first-place winner was Gladys Lou. Her creation of a dress made completely with receipts stunned the crowd. The dress had thin straps with a sweetheart neckline, and a frilled structure around the waist with strips of receipts flowing downwards. To top off the dress, the model wore a cage-like enclosure on her head and brown Chelsea boots. As Lou accepted her award, she told the crowd that we can all make art when we think creatively.
Ananda Sophie Quadros de Andrade came in second place. She created two gorgeous dresses. One was an all-white, mid-thigh length, one-arm gown, with a sweetheart neckline. The one-arm was made from used petticoat tulle. Her other design was a floor length, sweetheart neckline, half black and half white, one-arm dress. The back was a deep V-shape while the bottom of the gown was a poofy tulle.
Third place went to Justine Lyn. Her collection included ten designs. One of her creations was a two-piece brown coloured outfit; a brown and beige hued strapless top, matched with a darker brown skirt with one side swooped into a high thigh rise, and a yellow flower at the top of that thigh rise. Another design was a blue dress that went down to the mid-thigh. It had a deep V-neck front and back, with tied bow straps on top of the shoulders. The back of the dress had numerous buttons, resembling the front of a men’s dress shirt. Lyn’s creations were made from used fabrics. She told the crowd that she wanted to turn something old into something new and beautiful.
A memorable piece from the runway was a dress made from climate change posters. The dress had a high-low bottom, made entirely of brown cardboard posters emphasizing the urgency of helping the environment. The top was a grey long-sleeved shirt with the fabrics of shoulder blades cut out. “Divest From Fossil Fuels” was written in white on the back of the shirt.
The Trashion show demonstrated creative and unique fashion can be made from reusable materials. A reminder that people must take a stand and rebel against fast fashion because the preservation of our environment and natural resources is more important than materialistic appearances.
