Trash to Fashion

Think outside the trash can! That’s the motto for the Lynnhaven River Now Trashion Show, held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for the past six years.

Trashion is a term for clothing made from used materials. About 8 million tons of plastic enter Earth’s oceans each year. It can take hundreds of years to decompose. In recent decades, student and adult designers have been reusing some of that trash to create clothing. 

At last year’s Lynnhaven show, 20 high school students and 47 middle school students showed off their work on a runway at a local mall. They impressed the judges with creations such as candy-wrapper skirts and sleeves made of plastic rings that hold cans.

“Over the years there’s been a lot of pollution,” says seventh-grader Brooke Brown. She won an award for an outfit made of paper bags, plastic bags, and straws. “We must limit what we use and throw away.”

The Lynnhaven show also features music and trivia. But like any trashion show, the event is ultimately about raising awareness for the ways humans can harm the environment.

“My teacher had so many Girl Scout cookie boxes,” says Valeria Rosado, another 2019 winner who used the boxes to create a dress. “It’s sad to think they would have been thrown away. We used them to make something beautiful.”

Think outside the trash can! That’s the motto for the Lynnhaven River Now Trashion Show. The show is held in Virginia Beach. It started six years ago.

The word “trashion” means clothing made from materials that have already been used. Each year, about 8 million tons of plastic enters Earth’s oceans. That plastic can take hundreds of years to break down. Student and adult designers reuse some of that trash to create clothing.

Twenty high school students and 47 middle school students participated in last year’s Lynnhaven show. They showed off their work on a runway at a local mall. They impressed the judges with skirts made of candy wrappers. They wore sleeves made from the plastic rings used to hold cans.

“Over the years there’s been a lot of pollution,” says seventh-grader Brooke Brown. She won an award for her outfit. It was made of paper bags, plastic bags, and straws. “We must limit what we use and throw away.”

The Lynnhaven show includes music and trivia. But the point of the event is to raise awareness of the harm humans can do to the environment.

“My teacher had so many Girl Scout cookie boxes,” says Valeria Rosado. She was another 2019 winner. She used the cookie boxes to create a dress. “It’s sad to think they would have been thrown away. We used them to make something beautiful.”