In the vibrant and innovative world of sustainable fashion, I have noticed that two concepts often get tangled: Trashion Fashion Shows and Recycled Fashion Shows. These events, despite their shared mission of promoting sustainability, focus on different aspects of upcycling and reusing materials. Yet, this distinction is often misunderstood, leading to practices that can detract from their real purposes. Let’s explore how Sustainable Fashion Talks is working to clarify these differences in schools across Kenya.
The Core Concepts
Trashion Fashion Show
- Definition: Trashion (a blend of “trash” and “fashion”) is all about transforming discarded items, typically non-textile waste, into high-fashion garments or art pieces.
- Purpose: The main goal is to highlight the potential of reusing waste materials that would otherwise contribute to pollution. It’s an effort to clean up waste, especially plastic, and to demonstrate that what is often considered garbage can be turned into something beautiful and useful.
- Misconception: I have noticed that participants and even representatives in Sustainable fashion misunderstand the concept and end up buying new plastic items to create their outfits. This completely undermines the purpose by adding more waste to the environment.
Recycled Fashion Show
This is what Sustainable Fashion Talks and Eco Fashion Week Africa represents.
- Definition: This type of fashion show focuses on garments made from recycled textiles. It emphasizes giving new life to old fabrics and apparel materials.
- Purpose: The intention here is to promote the reuse of textiles, reducing the demand for new fabric production and minimizing textile waste. It supports a circular fashion economy.
- Misconception: People sometimes confuse this with trashion, leading to the use of non-textile waste which steers away from the event’s core mission of highlighting textile recycling.
The Confusion and Its Consequences
One major issue we’ve noticed is that individual, eager to get involvement in these shows, often miss the mark. They buy new plastic items—cups, plates, and bags—to create garments for what they think are recycled fashion shows. This practice defeats the purpose of both types of shows by contributing more waste rather than reutilizing existing materials.
Key Point: The essence of a Trashion Fashion Show is to use existing trash, giving it a new life without introducing new plastic waste. Meanwhile, Recycled Fashion Shows aim to reinvent old textiles, not mix them with general waste materials.
How Sustainable Fashion Talks Is Making a Difference
After noticing this, our coordinator Ruth who is an experienced Zero waste seamstress came up with the idea of Sustainable Fashion Talks actively engaging with schools to clarify these differences and promote the true essence of each type of fashion show. By getting involved directly, we are ensuring that the correct principles of sustainability are being taught and practiced.
Our Efforts in Action
- Light International School, Malindi:We have helped students understand the difference between upcycling trash and recycling textiles, guiding them to create authentic and impactful fashion pieces.
- Elimu Girls: Workshops and forums have highlighted the significance of reducing waste by using old materials instead of buying new ones.
- Grace School, Mombasa: Creative activities focused on collecting and repurposing local waste into trashion pieces have inspired students to think innovatively about fashion sustainability.
- Delight Fashion College: We worked on the first edition of Eco Fashion Week Africa with the student designers. We guided them every step of the way to only use textile like old bed sheets, old denim and any materials that would otherwise be considered waste instead of buying plastic items from shops to bring Trashion Show.
Upcoming Initiatives
We are excited about our upcoming engagements with more schools and organizations where we’ll continue our mission to educate and inspire people. Our goal is to ensure every participant understands the distinct purposes of Trashion Fashion Shows and Recycled Fashion Shows.
Conclusion
By clearly distinguishing between the concepts of Trashion and Recycled Fashion Shows, we can uphold the integrity of these sustainable practices.
Sustainable Fashion Talks is dedicated to educating and inspiring action toward climate change through forums, events, collaborations, and workshops. We provide a space for learning and growth where every conversation leads to action, bringing us closer to a sustainable planet.
Stay tuned for more updates on our events and how you can get involved.
