By Amelia Kibbe
Features Assignment Editor
Walk, walk trashion, baby.
Many Bonaventure students spent quality time turning their garbage into works of art over the last few weeks. This past Thursday, April 3, the students displayed their masterpieces in the second annual Trashion Fashion show in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
This year’s Trashion Fashion was a collaboration between Tread Lightly, Bonaventure’s recycling group, and the administrators of the Quick Center. The show, which also featured performances from SBU’s slam poetry club, The Chattertrons, was the grand finale of this year’s Recyclemania event. Recyclemania is an event that encourages students to be more conscious of their contributions to saving the earth. All the outfits worn by the models were made of at least 90-percent recyclable material.
Sister Suzanne Kush, C.S.S.F., the director of the Franciscan center for social concern, hosted the event and gave an opening speech and conclusion. Sean Conklin, assistant curator of the Quick Center, and Rebecca Wagner, resident director, served as the masters of ceremony for the evening. Conklin and Wagner took turns introducing the various outfits while the models posed behind a screen as a silhouette before appearing on the stage.
As the models posed for the crowd, they were judged on their creativity and performance by a panel of three judges. Brenda McGee, senior vice president for finance and administration, Brother Ed Coughlin, O.F.M., and Majella Shields, The BV’s own fashion columnist, scored the participants.
The recycled outfits modeled by the students were made from everything from coffee filters and macaroni and cheese boxes to pop can lids and duct tape. Some of the showcased attire was influenced by different fashion trends of the past or movies, while others were original.
Sister Suzanne said the fashion show was not only a fun evening, but it also sent a clear message.
“I think the event was wonderful,” Sister Suzanne said. “It made a big difference to be able to be on the stage this year. It made the atmosphere more professional. I think the students are really to be commended for their work. The time and effort they put into designing created a lot of spirit for the event.”
When asked what her favorite ‘look’ was, Kush said she could not chose a favorite because they were all well done.
“It was so hard,” she said. “I was glad I was not a judge. I was sitting in the audience and thinking ‘If I had to judge, which one would really stand out?’ There were just too many good ones. This made me really appreciate the work the judges did.”
Brother Ed, one of the judges for the show, said although fashion is not his thing, he really enjoyed the event.
“I’m not big into fashion,” Brother Ed said. “However, I really enjoy all the creativity and imagination that went into these outfits. They had a lot of crazy things I would never think about and it’s really fun to come and see that.”
Unlike Sister Suzanne, Brother Ed admitted he had a favorite look and that while the judging was difficult, it was also fun.
“One of the models wore a dress made out of ‘Pokémon’ cards,” Brother Ed said. “I thought that was a really clever idea to put them all together and make a dress from it. Having said that, I do think all the outfits were clever. The hardest thing about judging is that you have no idea what’s coming next. You have no framework or reference point to judge from.”
At the end of the show, awards were given in multiple categories for both models and designers. Top Trashionista was awarded to designer Maggie Morris and model Brianna Wilson for “Sweet Charity,” while runner-up went to designer Evelyn Penman and model Chelsea McBee for “House of QCA.” Top Model awards were won by Elli Perez and David Bryant wearing outfits designed by Spectrum, and runner-up went to designer Sean Conklin and model Chernice Miller. The People’s Choice Award went to “Pokémon Master,” designed and modeled by Adelaide Hahn.
Miller, a sophomore journalism and mass communication and theater major, was the runner-up of the top model contest. She explained that while a lot of work went into her costume, it was well worth it in the end.
“Sean Conklin designed my dress for the show,” Miller said. “He asked me if I wanted to model an outfit for him, and I said I would because I thought it would be a lot of fun. My look was modeled after Gatsby’s American Dream. It was made from trash bags and store bags as well as feathers and painted bottle caps. I was second place in the top model contest which made the night even more fun.”
Both Miller and Sister Suzanne explained the show was more than a fashion event. Its goal was to help raise awareness about the importance of recycling, and both women believed that was accomplished.
“I think the Trashion Fashion Show really did help raise awareness about recycling,” Miller said. “I think it showed how recycling actually works – making new things out of things we would otherwise throw away.”
Sister Suzanne agreed with Miller and added that it gave the idea of recycling a new perspective.
“This event clearly showed that recycling can be fun,” Sister Suzanne said. “It’s not always a chore. I think tonight helped get that important message across.”
kibbeaa13@bonaventure.edu
