More than 20 original designs took to the runway in honor of Earth Day when the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Studio 923 Art Club hosted its 3rd annual Trash to Fashion Show on April 20. This unique fashion show raises awareness about the importance of recycling and how waste impacts the land while turning recycled materials into fashion objects.
Fashion designers included UMPI students, community members, and even members of SAGE (Seniors Achieving Greater Education), whose members walked away with three of the evening’s six prizes. For the evening’s honors, both Audience Choice and Best Overall awards went to Roldena Sanipass for the butterfly evening gown she created out of newspaper and magazine pages. In other categories, the winners were: Formal wear, Jami Cass, with a suit made completely from pieces of hand-dyed, recycled interfacing; Accessories, Karen Hilt, with a cap and vest made out of cardboard food boxes; Avant Garde, Nancy Theriault, with a Tim Horton’s-inspired dress and handbag; Children’s, Bobbi Guerrette, with an outfit titled “Alley Cat,” using materials from kitty litter packaging to make a dress and kitten ears headband; and Casual wear, Judy Mann; with a jumper and hat made from Time magazine covers.
