Ever wanted to be a fashion designer? How about creating a garment from plastic bags, bubble wrap, or objects found at the Take It Or Leave It? On August 12 Lopez fashionistas will be able to “flaunt their flair” at a Trashion-Fashion Show at Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. Sponsored by SWAP (Solid Waste Alternatives Program), the event aims to publicize the value of reducing the waste stream by re-utilizing or repurposing discarded items. In the case of Trashion-Fashion – the art of creating a fabulous garment, accessory, or wearable sculpture from discarded, repurposed, or recyclable materials – that could mean anything from ball gowns sewn from pleated newspapers to hats fashioned from beer cans or bread baskets.

The rules for the Lopez event specify only that the entry must be wearable, be made out of recyclables or repurposed items, and be modeled on the runway at the Trashion-Fashion show on August 12. Entrants can be any age and can include groups or teams as well as individuals.  Entry forms can be picked up at Isabel’s Espresso, Paper Scissors on the Rock, and Islandale Southender. The forms must be submitted by August 1 in order for the designer to be eligible for an award and guaranteed a place on the runway.

Lopez fashionistas can get double exposure for their creations by entering the Trashion event at the San Juan County Fair, also in August. The annual Fair-ly Outrageous Trashion-Fashion Show, open to all SJC residents, will be on Wednesday, August 15.