Category Archives: Accessories

The Sustainable Fashion Legacy of Harriet Langmas

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Rubbish Renewed is one lucky event to have a rich array of participants. Harriet Langmas, now in her 90’s, has been a staple at the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show. Always hosting a marketplace booth of her repurposed, discarded scraps that she knits & crochets into hats, scarves, vests, sweaters, and rugs; sews into stuffed chickens, gift bags, and pillows… and often creates garments for the runway. This year is no exception.

Locals donate their cast-off materials to the Presbyterian quilters and the quilters pass their scraps onto Harriet! Materials that others believe are too small to reuse become embellishments in Harriet’s pieces. We were lucky to visit her long time Bend home to see her current creations and listen to her stories.

Harriet’s Sustainable Fashion Legacy goes way back in Bend. It was the 1960’s when Harriett taught at COCC and started the “Displaced Homemakers,” the predecessor to today’s Clothing Connections (a joint venture between COCC and OSU, a free donated clothing service for students). Harriet created a seminar to prepare students for job interviews and a closet in the gym, to provide professional clothes to wear.

In 1972 Harriet appeared on the popular show “What’s My Line” showcasing her patchwork fashion. She once dressed 1st Lady Betty Ford in a patchwork skirt to watch the 4th of July fireworks, and had 3 phone numbers for Katharine Hepburn who she met when filming ”Rooster Cogburn” in Bend with John Wayne. Ms. Hepburn wanted to buy Harriet’s skirts on a whim to give as gifts.

Photo: Kimberly Teichrow Photography

Before leaving Harriet’s she shared her rule of 3, rule of 4, and rule of accessories: Rule of 3 – don’t take any clothes on a trip that doesn’t do at least 3 things. Rule of 4 – it is the 4th thing you put on that makes the pow! Rule of accessories – rhythm, cluster, pow!

Thanks Harriet for helping make the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show an incredible Bend Event!

Read this 2006 article in the Bend Bulletin to dig into Harriet’s fascinating legacy:

Marketplace Application is UP!

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marketplace4_mcarthurmarketplace3_mcarthurmarketplace5_mcarthurThe Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show Fundraiser is more than a fashion show!  It is a fun, fundraising night out, where every aspect of the evening is focused on sustainability, innovation, and design.

One unique aspect, the Rubbish Renewed Marketplace, is currently accepting Marketplace Applications for the 2017 event.

The Marketplace features 10 local artists selling re-fashioned, trash-fashioned or sustainability-focused products.   The Marketplace is an opportunity for local artists to sell and “market” their work to a large audience (1,000+) who recognize the value of sustainable fashion, art, and design. The Marketplace will be open during both shows from 5:00-10:00pm.

Spend your night with other creative, conscious individuals celebrating art, fashion, and design, while raising money for an innovative public school, REALMS Magnet School.  Get here when the doors open, so you have time to shop at our local Marketplace and silent auction.

On Thursday, January 12th, the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show Fundraiser returns for the 7th annual at the Midtown Ballroom in Bend, Oregon.

PHOTOS:  Heaven McArthur (www.heavenmcarthur.com)

Have you ever imagined . . .?

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Necklaces, zipper pulls, and earrings are the creations made by “Just A Little Charm” out of copper salvaged from the old Bend Bulletin’s roof.

Bend, Oregon is an incredibly cool place to live.  Although the community has grown substantially since I moved here in 2000, it still has a small town feel.  Walking downtown, I always bump into someone I know eager to engage in a meaningful discussion.  People here not only hold “important” conversations, like how to make a difference in their community, they take action.  One approach comes from the willingness, no, eagerness to think about waste, and to do something about it in an ingenious way.  I’ve never met so many creative, capable, motivated and sustainably minded people in a small area (accept maybe Lopez Island – but that’s another story).

So have you ever thought about tiny speakers built into reused ALTOIDS tins?  Sculpted bowls formed from old records?  What about bold jewelry and accessories created from vintage Formica or salvaged roof copper?  These are just a smattering of the imaginative and well-crafted offerings available this year in the Marketplace at the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show on December 6th.  Check out these pieces for a taste of what’s to come.

N. Spekktor specializes in handmade treasures created from household items, journals, and old vinyl records.

Connect the Minty Blaster to the headphone jack on your portable music player and its built-in amplifier will provide a roomful of curiously strong, curiously hip mono sound.

Marketplace spaces are going quickly, so if you are interested, checkout the vendor submission info and grab a space before they’re gone.

Creative Accessories

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New this year for the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show is the Accessory Wall. Here are a couple of crazy creations that may be worn on the runway. Materials can come from almost anywhere.

The hat pulls together the beauty and texture of the fall garden. Dried sunflower heads adorn a compostable bowl, a byproduct of the REALMS healthy lunch program.

The purse was made last year in early November. Piles of campaign brochures filled mailboxes. This piece only represents a small fraction of the waste generated by one person in one household.

Get involve in the creative process of the accessory wall. Add to the artistry of styling for the runway.