The much anticipated 2009 Junk To Funk fashion extravaganza proved that Trashion still has a myriad of new realms to explore. Elysium Events and SCRAP once again set the stage for groundbreaking styles.
New categories, challenges to returning designers, a new venue and heightened public awareness produced an evolved event with ensembles that redefined the creative constraints of conscious clothing reconstructionistas. Those who attended this fourth annual fashion design contest described the atmosphere as “electrifying”.
The most popular upcycled materials at this year’s show were coffee filters (remember, this is Portland) and bike parts (remember, this is Portland). The winner of the show was “Chastity Blinds” by Jen Lamastra, a spanish armor/alice in wonderland-esque piece made out of mini blinds, sewn with bike tire tubes all topped by a bike tire tube wig all of which is pictured to the left.
A pair of animal hoof shoes constructed from the industrial waste of a meat-packing facility also garnered significant interest. Another crowd favorite was the elegant and very burnerly Trash-Fence Gown pictured at the bottom of this post.
Jaysun Spieth & Jos Smith (The Photographers), Darcie Radke (Truth in Light Photography), and Aisha Harley (Aisha Harley Photography) did an amazing job photographing the abundant magic overflowing every square inch of the Crystal Ballroom that night. Many thanks to all of them for the spectacular slideshow which beautifully showcases this thrilling night.
While there were significant financial incentives, the real rewards were a sensational show and a mass expansion of consciousness in terms of the creative fun we can have with recycling not the thousands of dollars in prizes. The new format, twenty nine fashion designer entrants, and near capacity attendance are just a few of the factors indicating that the 5th annual Junk To Funk show will be worth planning your 2010 November around.