STARKVILLE — It took weeks of planning, late nights spent stitching and even a little dumpster diving, but on Wednesday night, the pay off was dazzling.
At the annual Trashion fashion show, hosted by the Fashion Board and Fashion House student organizations, art and fashion students from Mississippi State University debuted self-made garments made almost exclusively from trash.
Pushing the boundaries of creativity, students created clothes from a variety of recycled materials, from plastic shopping bags and magazine pages to playing cards and old newspapers.
“Trashion is our biggest and most exciting show,” Susannah Case, MSU senior and president of Fashion Board, told The Dispatch. “We partner with another organization, Fashion House, which is all fashion design majors, and they design garments made out of waste materials and recycled goods.”
On Wednesday night, 50 student models took to the runway to show off the trashy garments, which ranged from dresses constructed from polaroids and post cards to skirts made of caution tape and water bottles. More than 30 student designers worked with the models to design the bespoke pieces, Case said.
The show also included garments from Starkville retailers, an effort Case said is made in shows throughout the year.
“All of our shows have local boutiques and local stores,” Case said. “We love to support Starkville, and that’s really what Fashion Board is all about. But Trashion specifically is to also highlight student work as well.”
Mariama Hawkins, sophomore and student designer, created a collection of garments that finished out the show. To prepare, she spent three weeks collecting materials, fitting models and finalizing the designs.
The collection featured 10 pieces made either from trash or material she snagged when the theater department cleaned out its costume closet. One dress was spotted with sea shells Hawkins’ parents had collected over more than 20 years of traveling. Another outfit included vibrant green pants made from vintage curtains. The material for her final piece of the night – a corset and skirt set – was cut from an old couch she bought on Facebook Marketplace.
While seeing her designs on the runway was a surreal feeling, Hawkins admitted it was slightly nerve wracking.
“Right before your models walk, you think about wardrobe malfunctions,” she said with a laugh.
With plans to start a clothing brand for women over the age of 50, Hawkins hopes to eventually build a career in the fashion industry.
Designing for Trashion, she said, gave her a chance to create clothing for models outside of her chosen demographic.
“I think it helps with the creativity aspect and being able to get some of these ideas that you might not necessarily be able to do within your career,” Hawkins said. “I don’t necessarily want to design for men, so having that opportunity to design a few pieces (for male models) showed I can do it if I actually want to.”
Sheri Worthy, who was named the director of the School of Human Sciences in July, attended Trashion for the first time Wednesday. She was worried the cold weather might affect the turnout but was pleasantly surprised when she saw the crowd of more than 200 waiting for the show to start. The entire event, she said, was spectacular.
“My faculty were sitting there pointing out some of the designs and what the students have done in our program,” she told The Dispatch. “The best thing was … when they came out at the end and the designer (walked) with the design they had done on the model.”
While the show wrapped up quickly, Case said it’s the months of effort behind the scenes that make Trashion special. From planning, to designing, to walking the runway, every detail reflects the students’ dedication, she said.
“The show itself usually is so fleeting, but … it’s cool to just soak up all the work that’s gone into it and see what it turns out to look like,” she said. “It really is a group effort, and everyone puts all of their heart and soul into it.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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