Trashion is a word which is used to refer to objects and garments produced from discarded, unwanted, and leftover items. Trashion encompasses everything from home décor to garments, and public interest in trashion started exploding in the late 1990s, when being environmentally ethical while staying chic started to come into style.
What is the philosophy behind the Trashion trend?
Trashion is considered to be a form of upcycling, which refers to repurposing things for new uses, rather than simply getting rid of unwanted objects.
This word is a portmanteau of “trash” and “fashion,” and it is meant to imply that things made from recycled objects don’t need to be lacking in style. While anyone can browse a vintage or thrift store, someone interested in trashion might also delve into free boxes, piles of discards destined for the dump, and other more unconventional sources for potential artistic inspiration.
Trashion jewelry often uses discarded and waste metals, both from within the jewelry industry and outside of it, and artists may use things like bottle caps, discarded containers, and so forth to make their jewelry more visually interesting and to remind consumers of the jewelry’s origins.
Trashion clothing often involves custom sewing, integrating several sources of discarded textile materials in designs which can vary widely, from sleek and hip to more casual and laid-back.
Trashion design can also encompass a wide variety of home goods, from tables to vases. People believe that by re-using unwanted items, they are both benefiting the environment and the items themselves, by giving such items a new purpose in life.
Trashion can also be an interesting exploration for artists, who push themselves to think about things in new ways, and a talented trashion designer can find something useful where others only see garbage, sometimes literally.
One of the great things about trashion is that it is accessible to anyone who is feeling creative and resourceful, unlike traditional fashion, which tends to be costly and elitist. Trashion is also unique; someone who wears a trashion gown to a function, for example, can be confident that no one else will be wearing the same outfit. The unique flavor of trashion is also its appeal, as each piece is intrinsically distinct and quirky.
Philosophy
Trashion is a philosophy and an ethic encompassing environmentalism and innovation. Making traditional objects out of recycled materials can be trashion, as can making avant-garde fashion from cast-offs or junk. It springs from a desire to make the best use of limited resources.
Trashion is similar to upcycling and refashion, although it began with specific fashion aspirations. Like upcycling, trashion generates items that are valued again, but these may be low-cost or high-cost, perhaps depending on the skill of the artist. The environmental aim of trashion is to call attention to the polluting outcome of waste.
History
Indigenous people throughout the world have used salvaged materials to create new objects for an indeterminate number of years. Africans have made bags from rice and juice packets, Haitians have made sculptural jewelry from old oil cans, and American settlers have made quilts and rugs from cast-off clothing and feed sacks. People were making something from nothing long before the word “trashion” was coined; however, Trashion usually refers to “making something from nothing” for aesthetic purposes, not for practical use.
In the 1990s, American artist Ann Wizer began using plastic waste in her wearable art. Working in the Philippines, and titling her line the ‘Virus Project,’ Wizer created a set of costumes made entirely from post consumer plastic waste to celebrate Earth Day. The first plastic packaging tote bags were accessories to these costumes.
There are now numerous small scale poverty intervention projects throughout Southeast Asia in the process of creating similar trashion accessories and other fashion and homeware items. This includes the XSProject, a charity originally founded by Wizer and based in Jakarta.
The Trashion movement took off in New York City in late 2004, early 2005 through underground parties on the lower east side of Manhattan at a club called Plan B. Trashion was part of the fashion of Urban Gypsy Circus, which is an interactive art party thrown by multi-media artist Miz Metro.
These parties exhibited art made out of recycled materials and included monthly “TRASHION FACEOFFS” where 2 designers would compete to be the “TRASHION QUEEN”. This led to Matthew Namer & Miz Metro curating the TRASHION Art show at Gallery 151 on exhibit during the summer of 2009 on the lower east side of Manhattan.
Trashion has become a very popular style of art. For example, in 2006, Julia Genatossio launched Monsoon Vermont, a trashion design house. The company designs items such as umbrellas, shower curtains and backpacks which are made from Jakarta’s scavenged trash. Unlike the XSProject, Monsoon Vermont is a for-profit venture.
Trashion is also the subject of school projects, local fashion shows, community center exhibits, and fundraisers, among other purposes.
Some contemporary trashion artists include Marina DeBris and Nancy Judd.
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