Category Archives: Fashion

And the 2026 Business Challenge Winner is…

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The 2026 Business Challenge showcased 9 incredible pieces created by talented trash fashion designers and material manipulators all dedicated to sustainable practices. BBT Architects – Sherry Jako; Fashion Workshop – Qristy Kurtz; Gear Fix – Nico Brilmyer, Kate Weatherholtz; Lonza – Thyia Scott, Nahi Ortiz, Alden Dupras and Kari D’Angona; Mountain Burger – Kelly Powell; QuiltSmart – Mattie Rhoades; ReGroup Thrift/ReCoHere – Tanner Stonerock; Restore – DeeDee Johnson; and Subaru of Bend – Brenda Jackson, gave it their all and showed us how thinking outside of the box with materials can uplift sustainability through creativity and fun. It was the closest audience vote ever!

And the winner is…. ReStore, with Circuit Couture, taking home the 2026 Rubbish Renewed Coveted Trash Trophy! Congratulations ReStore!

ReStore – Circuit Couture – Auction Item! Designer: DeeDee Johnson Model: Lynoa Blakely. This vest-skirt ensemble is made from discarded computer motherboards, broken keyboards, tattered banners, flags, t-shirt rags, and salvaged strapping, textured with wire, beads, buttons and broken chandelier parts.

Just 3 Days Away: Blurring the Lines Between Art and Advocacy

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More Than a Dress

What makes the Rubbish Renewed Fashion Show so compelling is that it blurs the line between art and advocacy. This isn’t just clothing—it’s storytelling. It’s a reminder that sustainability can be expressive, that environmental awareness can be beautiful, and that even the most unexpected materials can have a second life.

And maybe that’s the real takeaway: sometimes, the most inspiring designs don’t start with fabric—they start with a shift in perspective.

Experience the shifts at the 14th Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show

Saturday, May 9th at the Pavilion.

Garment Submission Deadline Friday, April 10th!

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Tickets just went live and it’s 2 weeks until the garment design submission deadline at midnight on Friday, April 10th. Remember you don’t need to have your garment completed, but the further along you are, the easier it is for the jury to recognize your vision in your photos and artist renderings. Read the material guidelines carefully.  Here is the link to the Adult & Student Runway Submission Page. It doesn’t hurt to get your submission in early.

Check out these materials from a few designs that have started to roll in!

Tickets are now on sale for the 14th Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show on Saturday, May 9th at the Pavilion. Use the BUY TICKETS button on the side bar, link from the tickets drop down menu, or scan the QR code on the poster, the Source ad, or below!

Workshops: Mentorship, Inspiration, Creation!

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What an inspiring afternoon at DIYcave working with 12 burgeoning trash fashion designers! With 6 mentors these creatives explored the essence of materials, created patterns, experimented with techniques, and moved their visions forward. We can’t wait to see what they create!

We have 3 more workshops coming up at DIYcave on Saturday, March 21st from 4-6pm RR & DIYcave Design Workshop Sign-up Link, and at The Open Arts Center on Wednesdays, April 1st and April 15th* from 3-6pm RR & Open Arts Center Design Workshop Sign-up Link!

* (The April 15th OAC workshop is after the show submission deadline, but can help finish a garment that has been submitted, or continue to develop as a trash fashion designer!)

Thank you to our incredible mentors Russell & Emma from ReCoHere Coop, Qristy from Fashion Workshop, Eva, Meg and Sandy from the RR Council for your expertise in design, patterning, and material manipulation. Rubbish Renewed is grateful for your dedication to the vision!

The 2026 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show will be at the Pavilion on Saturday, May 9th 2026. The garment submission deadline is Friday, April 10th.

Free Design Workshop Collaboration with DIYcave

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For the second year we are offering free Rubbish Renewed Design Workshops starting next week at DIYcave, Friday, March 6th 4-6pm & Saturday, March 21st 4-6pm! Sign-up for one today by clicking on the Rubbish Renewed & DIYcave Design Workshop Sign-up Link! Or link by visiting the applications page on the tab above or from DIYcave.com. For more detail check out the flyer below.

The 2026 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show will be at the Pavilion on Saturday, May 9th 2026. The garment submission deadline is Friday, April 10th.

We can’t wait to see what you create!

Calling All Aspiring Trash Fashion Designers!

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Calling all aspiring Trash Fashion Designers! It’s just over 3-months until the 2026 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show and a great time to start designing. With this unseasonably warm weather I’m not skiing, so why not tap into my creativity! Where do you get your inspiration? Check out past designer profile blog posts below to help you get motivated! We can’t wait to see what YOU create.

Revisit some Rubbish Renewed designer profiles by clicking on the links below. Many of these designers have gone on to create more garments for the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show:

DESIGNER PROFILES:

Devon Lizza

Jessica Browning

Ruby Swanson

Hailey Kavanagh

Sarah Stahl

Mother Daughter

Paula Bullwinkel

N Spekktor

Sara Wiener & Karlin Hedin

Tiina McDermott

Garment Submission Forms coming soon. Submission deadline April 3rd!

Showcased for Action: 2025 Business Challenge Garment Gallery Posted

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I’m so proud to live in a town where many local businesses put our environment in the forefront of their work. Not only considering waste, but also community, social, and global actions. Looking back on last year’s Business Challenge Gallery post inspired me to renew the message:

“In Bend, we have the power to create a holistic sustainable community. More than just action around waste, it’s about access to affordable housing, supporting local farms and food production, prioritizing employee well-being, creating green-spaces and access for recreating and habitat in these, shifting status quo policies surrounding waste and distribute items for reuse, establishing safe routes for biking and walking… the Business Challenge participants are making a difference through local, community focused practices, that empower people, and ultimately contribute to a better world. It’s more important than ever to step up and get involved.”

Celebrate the creativity and beauty showcased for action in the 2025 Business Challenge Garment Gallery and get inspired by the emerging work happening in our community!

6 of the 7 Business Challenge Garments at the 2025 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show. From left to right: Lonza, DIYcave, ReStore, ReCoHere, Bend Anesthesiology Group, and Gear Fix (missing Humm Kombucha). Visit the 2025 Business Challenge Garment Gallery for captivating photos of each garment, their description, story and businesses’ sustainable practices.

Rubbish Renewed 2025 had a diverse team of photographers. Thank you to Kimberly Teichrow Photography, Joe Kline Photography, Stark Photography, Melissa Barnes Dholakia, and Greg Maffei for the incredible images you’ll find in our galleries.

Check out the 2025 Business Challenge Garment Gallery and look for more posts coming soon!

Students Inspired! 2025 Show Gallery Posted

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When people ask me what my favorite thing is about being the producer of the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show, it always comes down to the students. They inspire me to step up my game as a global citizen, a community member, an artist, a designer, a teacher, and an environmental steward. I’m blown away every year by their creativity, their garment stories, and the craftsmanship, even by the youngest designers. This year the 2025 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show showcased student designers from 17 Central Oregon schools – from 3rd grade to college! Check out the 2025 Student Garment Gallery and see what students inspired create.

Rubbish Renewed 2025 had a diverse team of photographers. Thank you to Kimberly Teichrow Photography, Joe Kline Photography, Stark Photography, Melissa Barnes Dholakia, and Greg Maffei for the incredible images you’ll find in our galleries.

Check out the 2025 Student Garment Gallery and look for more galleries and blog posts coming soon!

Sneak Peak: 2025 Show Photos!

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PHOTOS BY: Kimberly Teichrow Photography (more photos for purchase), Joe Kline (more photos for purchase), Stark Photography (more photos for purchase), Melissa Barnes Dholakia, and Greg Maffei

The Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show had an incredible photography team this year. We were lucky again to have: Kimberly Teichrow Photography taking portraits before the runway, capturing clear images of each piece and some with designers; Joe Kline’s atmospheric photos, seizing the essence of the event; and Melissa Barnes-Dholakia, with her bright photos of pieces on the runway. New with us in 2025 were 2 photographers, Daniel Stark, who captured the whole event from the marketplace to models, and Greg Maffei who shot the back of the house catching the magic behind the curtain.

Kimberly Teichrow Photography

Joe Kline Photography

Stark Photography

Melissa Barnes Dholakia

Greg Maffei

Thank you Bend & Sponsors!

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Once again, we pulled off this multifaceted, highly engaging, sustainably minded, community connecting event! The 13th Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show was enriched this year by more interactive sustainable thinking – art, activities, free design workshops, and a developed reusables system. These, in combination with the mesmerizing trash fashion show, raised the community impact of this even. Thank you sponsors, thank you Bend! We simply couldn’t have done it without you!

CREATURE OF FASHION – ReStore Business Challenge Designers: Lisa Mcluskie, DeeDee Johnson, Restore Employees Brian & Keegan Model: Lisa Mcluskie Photographer: Joe Kline

Your support for creativity, the magical transformation of innovative materials, passion for our planet, and uplifting more than 700 people to find unique ways to think about waste, made the 2025 Rubbish Renewed the best fundraising and eco-elevating event in Bend!

Your support helped bring student designers from 17 Central Oregon schools 3rd grade to college and adult designers new to fashion and those who have been with us since the beginning. Your support of diversity is what makes the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show matchless, engaging, and meaningful! And with your support we raised nearly $20,000 for REALMS Schools continuing the vision to foster scholarship, strengthen community, and inspire stewardship through active learning.

We feel so proud of the space and event we collectively created to celebrate and promote sustainability through the magic of trash fashion. It was a beautiful evening filled with hope, love, and community. Together we proved again, that Rubbish Renewed is not just a fashion show and not just a fundraiser, but a creative celebration of re-imagining waste, rethinking our relationship with trash, and inspiring people to live lighter on the planet. It is a testament to the power of people with aligned belief in a mission bigger than ourselves!

With Gratitude, The Rubbish Renewed Team