‘Trashion Fashion’ show is Harwinton native’s brainchild

Annual show set for Sunday at Infinity Hall in Hartford

HARTFORD >> Amy Merli, a Harwinton native, has gathered designers and friends together for the next Trashion Fashion show at Infinity Hall in Hartford. The show will be held on Sunday, April 30 at 6 p.m.

This event, like all Trashion Fashion events, invites folks to partake in and see how we can find creative and even beautiful uses for the many waste items we find among our daily lives.

The Trashion Fashion Show features live music, dancing and a choreographed runway with all new designs for 2017. Tickets are $20 general admission in advance and $25 at the door, or premiere seats for $50, which include a guaranteed front row or aisle seat for the show and access to a cash bar throughout the night. After the show, ticket holders are invited to join the designers for a meet and greet with complimentary champagne. Premiere seat tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.

Tickets can be orderred at https://trashionfashion2017.eventbrite.com

Trashion Fashion is on a mission, Merli said. “We are fostering a generation of conscious consumers, creators and communities through our productions, education and community engagements,” she wrote in an email. “We are changing the way the world sees waste. The Trashion Fashion Show is a choreographed runway that features wearable art made from materials that have been diverted from the waste stream. Our show combines environmentalism, preforming arts and creativity. Our events were started with the intention of combining a passion for environmentalism, preforming arts and fashion.”

Merli explained that Trashion Fashion’s first environmentally conscious production in 2011 featured the designs of three local artists. The initial event was held in a small gallery space, which was filled to capacity with 50 people. The following year, Trashion Fashion accepted open submissions, moved to a larger venue and entertained an audience of 250. Today, Trashion Fashion has contributed to the creation of more than 400 trashion designs and has had dozens of productions, exhibits, workshops and community engagements throughout Connecticut as well as in Washington, D.C. and New York City, Merli said.

“We believe in using creativity to spread awareness of global issues that are challenging our planet,” Merli said in her email. “There are many unethical practices within the fashion industry worldwide that have harmful effects on the environment. Trashion Fashion offers a way to reimagine items that end up in the waste stream as materials for creation. We empower our audience, designers and students to rethink what is possible. We know there are solutions that can reduce waste and have gentler effects on the planet, it’s our goal to find them.

The organization’s founder attributed social media as an important tool for their success. “Each year Trashion Fashion expands its reach both in the community and online. Our social media’s growth has been exponential,” she said. “We work to produce beautiful, engaging content across several platforms. Whether its on social media, our street team, our buzzworthy events, or our monthly newsletter, Trashion Fashion is steadily gaining visibility worldwide. Trashion Fashion has featured designs from Canada, The UK, The Netherlands, Ireland and the Philippines.”

For more information contact Amy Merli at 860309-3985, email amy@ trashionfashion.org, visit www.trashionfashion.org or go to the Facebook event page under Trashion Fashion 2017.

INFINITYHALL.COM Infinity Hall in Hartford is hosting the Trashion Fashion show on Sunday.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A model shows a dress made from repurposed coffee filters during a Trashion Fashion show. The dress was designed by Rose Orelup, whose mother, Karry Orelup, owns Becoming Balanced in Torrington.