As the saying goes, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’, or in the case of Students Engaged in Green Activism (SEGA), one man’s trash is another man’s high-end fashion.
In honor of Earth Month and in order to raise awareness for environmental issues, SEGA, a Wheaton environmental club, put on its first annual Trashion Show. As the name implies, the event featured fashion made entirely out of trash, created and modeled by Wheaton students.
The event took place in the Chapel on the evening of Saturday, April 11. SEGA also hosted a workshop prior to the event for potential designers to flex their creative recycling muscles and begin crafting their fashion masterpieces for the runway. The rules and regulations stipulated that each outfit had to be made out of everyday materials that would be found in the trash or recycling and would otherwise inevitably end up in landfills. Buying any materials would lead to automatic disqualification. “Old clothes” could not be used, since the purpose was for everyone to make their own outfit. Pieces had to be sturdy and durable enough to survive a walk down the runway without falling apart.
Each design was scored by a panel of judges — including President Dennis Hanno — on four categories: most creative, most fashionable, use of materials, and form and function. The first place winner received 30 Lyon’s Bucks, second place received 20, and third place received 10.
Some of the materials used included: plastic bags, trash bags, cardboard, Capri Sun pouches, playing cards, cans, and more.
SEGA also brought a speaker on sustainable food to campus this Monday, has put on a repurposing contest, and collects electronics to properly recycle them. The club meets Sundays at 5:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in Balfour, and is led by Presidents Sara Mitsinikos ’15 and Antonio Sosa ’15.