They say one man’s trash is another woman’s outfit, right?
That is the theme at the next special event at the Putnam Museum & Science Center Grand Lobby on Saturday, Sept. 30 for the new JUNKcraft Recycling Fashion Show at 6 p.m.
This creative event is in conjunction with the JUNKraft: Global Crisis of Plastic Pollution exhibit, currently on display at the Putnam through October.
With the JUNKraft exhibit as inspiration, this is a fashion event where the fashions are made from trash. Designers collected recycled materials and crafted a “garment” using at least 70% reused materials. Designers will present dresses, jackets, suits, or anything their model can wear down the runway.
With each garment made of plastic bottles, discarded plastic grocery bags, or any other discarded material, the Putnam will tell the story of the prolific nature of single-use plastics and their detrimental effect on the environment.
One “dress” was made by Vice President of Museum Experiences Kelly Lao, created with duct tape, Amazon bags, and thrift book bags.
“It was so interesting to re-examine the materials around me, in my recycle bin, or about to be tossed away and think, can I turn this into something else. I ended up with trial and error, utilizing the color of the materials to help guide design,” Lao said this week.
The Putnam recruited about a dozen designers participating in the show, all of whom are creating looks with trash.
In May, the museum (1717 W. 12th St., Davenport) opened the exhibit featuring the huge vessel made from recycled materials, to highlight the problem of worldwide ocean plastic pollution.
In 2008 two sailors, Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal, launched a homemade raft from Los Angeles with the intent to drift to Hawaii to bring attention to the emerging plastic pollution problem. With no motor or support vessel, the crew took 13 weeks to reach their destination, three times longer than expected. They used 15,000 plastic bottles, 26 sailboat masts, and a Cessna aircraft fuselage to construct the raft, named JUNK.
The bottles were stuffed into 30-foot-long pontoons made from old fishing nets. Their third partner in the project, Anna Cummins, maintained daily satellite phone contact with the sailors to give constant weather updates about the four hurricanes that swept past them during their journey.
“JUNKraft” features the raft JUNK made from recycled materials, as well as sculptures and other art also made out of recycled materials. It is a blend of art, science, and solutions to highlight the impact of humanity on the natural environment.
On Saturday, you can enjoy an evening of light refreshments and fashion, with a cash bar. Tickets are $25, available HERE.
