Schools' Trash to Fashion® Awards

The Trash to Fashion® Awards show began as a small community based celebration over a decade ago, born from a community that embraces a sustainability ethos. Waitakere is recognized as New Zealand's first "Eco City".

Based on the ethos of Recycle - Reuse - Reduce - Refuse, Trash to Fashion® is an arts and cultural experience that now spans all ages, beginning with preschool, continuing through the primary, intermediate and secondary school, and culminating with New Zealand's largest theatrical and visual experience of its type, receiving regional, national, and international recognition.

2010 Calender

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Parent/Guardian Information (Size 1167K)

Teacher Workshop - 17 Feb - Kris Kell, Eilis Galuszewski, Di Jennings
Contact: jeannette.aldridge@waitakere.govt.nz

Education Programme

Venues

Theme: Journeys

Categories

Primary Section

Bush Babies - "nature-made" only
Those wee folk who live in hollowed out trees and ferny dells and ride around on dragonflies and huhu bugs!
Stories have always been told across all cultures, of faeries, elves, fauns, nymphs and all manner of forest dwelling folk who are guardians of their natural environment.

What to use:
Collect things from the bush to create a garment that reflects their world. Fallen plant material, seeds, pods, beans and lichen are some suggestions. You may also use recycled natural fabrics that have been processed such as hessian (coffee sacks), wool (blankets), cotton and silk to assist making your garment.


Camelot - Colour and Pageantry - all man-made
King Arthur's Court at Camelot was rich in pageantry and colour for the Kings and Queens and Lords and Ladies of the realm!

From this age of gallantry come knights in tunics and breeches, chain mail and helmets, carrying shields and swords and heraldic flags. Some were off to slay dragons or search for the Holy Grail and others to protect the land and castles. Their ladies are beautiful in long flowing gowns, some with wimples on their heads, others with garlands of flowers in their hair and all with beautiful jewels in a feast of colour and grace.

What to use:
Research this mythical era and use your imagination and any recycled materials to design costumes that explode in an extravaganza of light and colour, earning you an invitation to the court at Camelot

Octopus's Garden - a mixture of man-made and nature made
What lives beneath the waves?
And in the darkest coastal caves
In the deepest depths of the ocean
There's a world under the sea in motion.

In Aotearoa we are never very far from the sea that provides us with enormous amounts of fun, adventure and food. Celebrate all that the sea gives us and all things that live within it. Tangaroa, dolphins and whales, sea horses, crabs, jelly fish, sea anemones and creatures of all description. Even King Neptune and mermen and mermaids!

What to use:
Create your garment from anything that has had another life as a man-made product and also use nature's creations. Think about your sea character and what would really make it come alive - scales, fins, colour and flowing movement, all-important in the sea.


Senior Section

Tane Toa - Male Urban Chic Category
Urban street wear for the coolest dude to strut his stuff!
Come on guys! This category is especially for you, but is open to all designers to create something funky and masculine to hit the streets and have all eyes on you dude!

Garments MUST be modelled by the guys.

What to use:
Think strong and durable materials that deliver this message with no plastic bags please. Rework industrial materials such as building paper and copper wire. Think about all those drink cans and tough materials like leather.

Café Culture - Haute Couture Category
Turn heads in your style savvy look as you head to High Street!
This is your chance to think catwalk chic without High St prices. Think funky and different and use artistic creativity to add an extra 'edge'. Accessorize your garment with bags and beads and fans to compliment the silhouette for strong stage presence. Be clever with colour; consider a limited colour palette and bold or complimentary colours.

What to use:
Consider using factory off cuts or rework some glamour garments from previous decades.

Deva Believer - Organic Category
Back to nature and all those elemental beings from myth and legend that evoke a sense of mystery and awe! Patupaiarehe from Aotearoa and Banshees from Eire.

Get into the wild and gather resources from the land and the sea. Marry these with recycled natural fabrics such as wool, hessian, hemp, silk, linen and leather and experiment with construction techniques. Extend your garment to include horns and wings and all things 'other worldly. Reflect the stunning environment of Aotearoa in your natural fibre garment.

What to use:
You can use materials from nature that have kept their original quality such as fallen plant materials, shells, seeds, and pods and also processed natural fibres provided they are recycled. Use anything that will return to the earth as a natural process of decay.

Jean Genie - Reconstruction Category
Rework the ubiquitous jeans and T-shirt!

Deconstruct and creatively reconstruct to give these everyday essentials an innovative and novel new look.

You will start with 80% denim and 20% T-shirt which will need to be photographed before you start cutting!

Give thought to reworking pockets and prints and present the most original new version of everyday wear. Remember to think "comfort".

Deconstruct to reconstruct. Think techniques - fraying, distressing, patchwork, weaving, plaiting, knitting, slicing - anything you can think of, try it in denim.

What to use:
You must only use denim and T-shirts.

Artery - Sculpture Category
This new category is aimed at those highly creative individuals who aspire to think beyond the fashion silhouette. Go where no Trashionista has gone before!

This section is open for you to wow the judges with an artful sculptural piece that reflects the ethos of the show, caring for our great earth mother, Papatuanuku.

Think cleverly about size and movement to really make your idea work. Research how you can best put a 'larger than life' piece together. It will need to be durable, as it will need to travel to and from the show and be worn several times.

What to use:
There are plenty of everyday items such a tetrapacs and paper coffee cups which offer you material to work with, however provided your wearable sculpture is safe, i.e. free from sharp edges, you may use any recycled material for construction.

Accessories*

Junk To Jewels
Adornments and accessories

Head High*
Hats and headgear

*Junk to Jewels and Head High entries can be with a whole outfit (from any category), or can be entered as individual (not worn) items. Items entered without a garment will be on display.

Additional Photos
Entries for Junk to Jewels and Head High that are part of a complete outfit must have separate photos of the accessories entries in addition to the garment photos.

References
journey. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journey

Education Programme

Teachers Workshop

Wednesday 17 Feb 4pm - 6pm
Opanuku Room, Corban Estate Arts Centre
Mt Lebanon Drive Henderson

A valuable opportunity for teachers interested in having their students participate in the Schools Trash to Fashion Awards. New teachers will be able to talk with teachers who have been involved with this programme for several years. Discussion will cover the process of registration, the semifinals, the rehearsals and show weekend, and the workshops available in Terms 1 & 2 to support the teachers and students. Teachers will have the opportunity to visit the workroom spaces and participate in a creative making experience which reflects the T2F ethos.

Please register by email: jeannette.aldridge@waitakere.govt.nz

Assembly Presentations

Design and Technique Workshops

To register for Leotc classes email Joy Tiumalu Joy@ceac.org.nz  

Workshops in Schools

Construction techniques using recycled and reused materials

For further information or to register for any of the workshops in schools props workshop, or soundscape workshop please contact Project Coordinator Jeannette.aldridge@waitakere.govt.nz

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View and print  the Education Workshop Schedule (Size 32K)

Rules and conditions of entry

Remember that Trash to Fashion® is all about Reducing, Reusing and Recycling our planet's resources. Garments should be made with these principles in mind - so as much as possible use natural resources rather than toxic ones, and use recycled and reused products in your entries.

Your garment must be made from either;

• Household, Industrial, Manufactured or Man-Made Waste
• Re-used, Recycled Clothing, Objects and Fabric Off-Cuts
• Organic Waste

Your garment must not contain any materials that have been purchased new for the purpose of the construction of your garment.

You should avoid using Staples & Sellotape, AND there must be NO sharp edges (mirrors, glass, or chicken-wire etc) anywhere on the garment. You are encouraged to use environmentally friendly glues, dyes, paints, resins etc in the construction of your garment.

Garments must be well made, safe and durable, and able to be worn several times for rehearsals, judging and performances. Please consider the weight and comfort of the garment, as you need to move freely on and off the stage.

Consider the following;

• Visual impact - Choice of colours and overall look of the garment when worn.
• Originality - Innovative use of recycled materials and originality of design used.
• Use of "TRASH" - Is the entry made from genuinely recycled or reused products?

These points are of paramount importance to the judging panel and we urge designers to carefully consider them when entering the Trash to Fashion® Awards.

Entrants in schools categories must take a leading part in the design and construction of their garments. Entries that are clearly made by adults will be disqualified.

Entrants in schools categories must model their own garments and models must be available for ALL rehearsals if selected to go forward to the Trash to Fashion® Awards Show. You will be notified well in advance about the location and time of rehearsals. Failure to attend any rehearsal will automatically disqualify any entrant.

After making your garment

Label your entry clearly using the garment entry form (available in April). You are encouraged to include notes on inspiration for the design and recommendations as to how the garment should be worn, along with a brief biography.

Your garment must be accompanied by 2 x photographs only, a front and back view. If there are no photos your garment will automatically be disqualified.

If your garment needs to be hung up, please include a coat hanger in your delivery box. Boxes and packaging must be clearly named. Include a return address and if applicable, courier fee attached to your garment entry form. NB: Trash to Fashion® is not responsible for arranging couriers to return your garments to you.

All garments submitted to Trash to Fashion® will be subject to a pre-selection process. It is important that designers understand that not all garments will make it to the finals.

Playcentre Trash To Fashion®

Ms T Bag by Rhiannon Galuszewski

In cooperation with Keep Waitakere Beautiful Trust, and Waitakere City Council, Playcentre are very excited to present the opportunity for pre-school aged children to explore their creativity with an environmental focus with the Playcentre Trash to Fashion® Awards.

Auckland Playcentre Association organised The Playcentre Trash To Fashion® Awards for pre-school aged children and selected four entries to be part of The Schools Trash To Fashion® Awards show.

Mailing list

To join the mailing list to be notified when new dates have been set, please email: Trash to Fashion Coordinator.   

Sponsors for 2009