Models dress to impress at WRI’s Trashion Show

LEAVENWORTH—Using trash as their medium, seventeen teams showcased their best artistic and fashion skills at Wenatchee River Institute’s third annual Trashion Show on Apr. 19.

Every year, the fashion show garners a large crowd of viewers to see models strut down the grassy runway in trash transformed into complete, wearable fashion pieces. In addition to creating an outfit, teams must also come up with a factoid and a message about being better stewards of the planet, in honor of Earth day.

Models sported dresses made of Amazon packaging, coffee filters, and cans. Others used more unconventional materials, such as creating a cape out of cat food containers, or making hats out of milk cartons and pool noodles. Every outfit was fit to impress, but only a few walked away with the prize.

The Willards took first place in the family category for “Bride of the Sea,” in which model Sola Willard wore her grandmother’s 51-year-old wedding dress, covered in common plastics found littered across the ocean.

“This is the bride of the sea that fell off a garbage barge and she collected all this garbage. This is more garbage than the creatures of the sea,” said Teri, her grandmother and artist.

“School Style,” a dress made out of homework, took first for the youth category. A plastic water bottle outfit titled, “Dark Floral” took first in the high school category. The first place winner of the adult category created wings made of plastic bags and cardboard, with paper claws, calling the piece “Trash Dragon.”

Team “Renew-derhosen” received the coveted People’s Choice award, winning the audience over with a Mai Fest themed duo. Model Aria Knutson sported a dirndl made of old curtains and retired climbing rope, holding a homemade maibaum, or maypole. A boy in lederhosen accompanied Knutson in lederhosen made of cork material, suspenders made of raffle tickets, and homemade accordion as a prop. The two stopped halfway down the runway to do the traditional Mai fest dance.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media