Trash becomes fashion

Fashion can change how we view something entirely… including trash.

The outdoor gear designer, Patagonia is working alongside the Outing Club to sponsor a “Trashion Show” on March 23, as part of the Worn Wear tour, an event sponsored by Patagonia focused on promoting sustainability.

It will feature student-made outfits damaged Patagonia clothing, the majority created for a class projects in “Perspectives on Making.”

The program is aimed at recycling garments that are beyond repair, according to Patagaonia’s website.

The show is the perfect chance to explore the course’s goal of investigating the interface between ideas and materials, said Cameron Davis, senior lecturer in the art history department.

The theme of political ecology, acknowledges the field of ecology’s intersection with social, environmental and economic justice, Davis said.

The topic allowed students creative freedom, he said.

“I was hoping the students would have a wide range of possible ideas to engage with,” Davis said, noting that they explored topics such as racism, climate change and gender.

Sophomore Summer Klotzbach repurposed a ripped black jacket for the show.

The first step was to repair the jacket, she said, then created a pattern based on the suburb from the show “Weeds.”

“I like the idea of having a ubiquitous neighborhood to represent overpopulation,” Klotzbach said.

She was inspired by her work with living systems as a geology major, Klotzbach said, her background is part of the diversity of the show that she thinks makes it worthwhile, she said.

“There are so many different topics,” she said. “There’s one for everyone.”

Senior Camila Auvray’s project is another example of this variety.

Auvray’s cheeseburger-based pattern reflects consumption, featuring a children’s jacket.

“The next generations are the ones that will suffer from our choices,” she said.

Auvary said art like this is important to UVM, and that she wants to see more outlets for it in the future.

“It not only helps express what we feel,” she said. “It helps us understand our world and enables us to critique ourselves.”

The show will be held from 1–2 p.m. March 23 in the Davis Center Atrium.