The Sustainable Fashion Legacy of Harriet Langmas

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Rubbish Renewed

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.

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 4^th 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:

Redmond Proficiency Academy Digs into Trash (Fashion)

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Rubbish Renewed

With the Rubbish Renewed season coming spring, people around Central Oregon are looking at trash with a new eye. What is the essence of the material? How can I make something from nothing? What impact can I have on contributing to a more sustainable earth?

RPA students dug into a trash fashion during their January winter intensives. They explored unconventional, tossed-away materials, visioned and drew, then started to work their magic with different techniques.

Working with trash is hard and inspiring. Here’s a few of their thoughts:

Juno: “The work is a lot of trial and error.”

Trinity: “It helps grow my creativity”

Asher: “It’s fun and interesting taking trash and turning it into something cool. It’s cool seeing other people’s creativity and their works of art.”

We’re hoping to see some of these finished pieces on the runway! Time to start thinking about the submission process.

What will you create?

Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show Submission Deadline is Friday, April 5th for the May 11th event. Your garment does not have to be complete by the submission deadline, but the further along you are in the process, the more information the jury will have to make their decision.

Runway Submissions are Open

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Rubbish Renewed

It’s the designers, and their creativity, material manipulation, passion for fashion and our planet, that makes Rubbish Renewed unique, entertaining, and meaningful. Each year designers, like you, have made this one of the most coveted and exciting shows in Bend!

The Student and Adult Designer Submission Forms are up and will be open until the Garment Submission deadline at midnight on Friday, April 5th. For inspiration on the trash fashion creation process, student and adult designs, the runway show, the event, and our garment criteria, watch one or both of these short videos (3-4+ minutes – with some slightly different information):

Let us know what you are working on. We will highlight several designers again this year. Spread the word and get designing!

What will you Create?

Calling All Aspiring Trash Fashion Designers!

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Rubbish Renewed

Calling all aspiring Trash Fashion Designers! It’s 4-months until the 2024 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show and a great time to start creating. This cold, blustery weather is the perfect moment to snuggle in and start visioning. Where do you get your inspiration? Check out past Rubbish Renewed blog posts below to help you get inspired! We can’t wait to see what YOU create?

Click on the following links to revisit some past idea generating blog posts:

Calling All Creatives – Discover the Essence of Rubbish

Material Manipulation from Waste to Wear-ability

Project Runway Uses Real Refuse for Once

Organic Matter isn’t Rubbish

RR Student Designers in Action

Inspiration from The Unconventional Challenge

Virtual Inspiration

Where does your inspiration start? Design? Materials? Techniques?

How About that Diamond Runway by Flip Flop Sounds

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Rubbish Renewed

The first year at a new venue exploration and creativity reign. The second year you get to refine. We are thrilled to take what we learned from the 2023 revival of Rubbish Renewed and elevate it for the 2024 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show. One thing we loved was Flip Flop Sounds diamond runway!

A few of us were gathered with Courtney (the mastermind behind Flip Flop Sounds) at a local watering hole chatting about the Pavilion as a venue, and Courtney started to sketch ideas. The ideas blew our minds, and the diamond runway was born!

The Flip Flop Sounds magic happening!

Local, Sustainable, Holiday Shopping

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Rubbish Renewed

School’s out for winter break. Weathers mild, and the community is bustling. I typically use these next four days to do most of my holiday shopping. In Bend, we have a bounty of local, sustainable, diverse gift gathering spaces. Check out three great community focused businesses (and Rubbish Renewed supporters) to spend your dollars locally and make sustainable purchasing choices that are lighter on the planet!

COSA CURA: 2735 NW Crossing Dr. #101

For your stylish fashion and home decor needs Cosa Cura is the place! The store currently represents 80+ Independent Artists & Designers and carries fashion from 8000+ local consignors. Cosa Cura creates an atmosphere of sustainable style, creativity, local support and community service.

GEAR FIX: 550 SW Industrial Way #1

For your outdoor enthusiast needs check out The Gear Fix! They consign high quality outdoor gear and repair your damaged favorites. Gear Fix cultivates a sense of community both inside and outside of the shop helping make our area inclusive for all that choose to venture outdoors.

RESTORE: 224 NE Thurston Avenue

For the handy person in your life the ReStore has a wide variety of home improvement materials, tools and furnishings almost exclusively donated by our generous community. Shopping at ReStore helps support the construction of Habitat homes that are built for energy efficiency. These affordable homes ensure families have every opportunity to thrive and grow.

After making these environmentally positive shopping choices, don’t forget to package your gifts sustainably. Reuse wrapping paper, magazines, old posters. Use scraps of fabric, reusable bags, or even make the wrapping part of the gift!

Wrapping paper waste fact: The amount of wrapping paper used for Christmas gifts is enough to wrap the plant nine times. 23 million pounds of wrapping paper ends up in a landfill every year.

Trash Fashion 2.0 – 2023 Adult Garment Gallery Posted

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Rubbish Renewed

With our first Rubbish Renewed event after a 2-year pause, we worried about getting enough of the high quality garment submissions that Rubbish Renewed was accustom to. However, what emerged was Trash Fashion 2.0! It turns out that designers’ ideas peculated during the pause, then exploded onto the runway. Extraordinary material manipulation, unique designs, and models showcasing it all. Enjoy exploring the diverse photos in the 2023 Adult Garment Gallery from Kimberly Teichrow Photography, Joe Kline, Deb Quinlan, Paula Bullwinkel, and Melissa Dholakia.

2023 Adult Garment Gallery

Enjoy the second in our gallery series with the 2023 Adult Garment Gallery!

Business Challenge Gallery coming soon. Check out the 2023 Student Garment Gallery.

Event Night, Behind the Scenes

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Rubbish Renewed

With each event year and venue change (this is our 4^th venue in 11 shows) what happens behind the scenes has to be flexible and shift to fit. Rubbish Renewed thrives with skilled volunteers and sponsors who create hidden magic in the greenroom. Coordinated by a humble talent, Mayra Stearns, “frames” are created with makeup and hair styling that illuminate the inspirational trash fashion on the runway.

High school senior Elliana Bowers getting illuminated. *Photo: Joe Kline*

Mayra manages the action in a way that sets a comfortable tone supporting even the most nervous young models. She also generates a team of volunteer makeup artists who balance the feel of the garment with enhancing for stage presence. And since 2014, Bishops in Bend has honored us by bringing a team of professional stylists who whip up hair that highlights the flair of each piece. It’s fast and furious fashion at its best in the Rubbish Renewed greenroom!

Bishops stylists whipping up hair! Photos: Rylee Courtois

Mayra Stearns making magic, Rubbish Renewed 2016. Archive Photos: Paula Bullwinkel

Designer Profile: Devon Lizza

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Rubbish Renewed

Devon Lizza discovered the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show through her mom’s friend’s daughter, when she was a high school student at Bend High, and never looked back! Now, a second-year student in the architecture program at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Devon has designed another spectacular piece transforming trash into an eye dazzling color experience!

What inspires your creations?

**2019 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show** *Materials: K-cups, plastic Bags, old bike tire*

I have to say color. I think that color is just an inspiration in itself as it’s the one true way to bring life to something. When I start looking at garbage it’s always the color I am drawn to first followed by how to alter it into something unrecognizable. This sorta flows into the process for me as I want the end look to be nothing like what it’s made out of. I’ve designed with gum wrappers, chocolate wrappers, and kediri cups in the past and I always know I’ve done it right when people continually ask me “what on earth is this made of”.

How do you connect to the Rubbish Renewed mission – transforming trash and inspiring community for a sustainable earth?

Being a lifelong Oregonian and a student at UO with a sustainably focused architecture program, it goes to show I love this event for more than just the sheer ingenuity it spurs but also the mission and message behind it. I believe in sustainability being the future of the world’s success and that people can contribute to this themselves. I myself am a vegetarian and an avid thrifter, one because I love the things and secondly after I found out that those two things are single handedly the most environmentally positive impactful an individual person can do.

**2020 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show** *Materials: Hershey chocolate wrappers, newspaper (for structure beneath wrappers)*

What is one thing you want to share with aspiring trash fashion designers?

My advice to aspiring designers is to just keep things interesting and design trashion garments with things you would least expect. Sometimes I have a little game in my head walking around that I challenge myself to imagine what type of clothes can be made from whatever odd trinkets and garbage I see. Keep people guessing what things are made of and ALWAYS keep a lookout for some color.

Come see Devon’s newest creation along with 45 other incredible garments created by student and adult community designers at the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show, on May 20th at the Pavilion!

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS or use the drop down menu or button at the top!

Calling All Creatives – Discover the Essence of your Rubbish!

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Rubbish Renewed

It’s that time of year in the Rubbish Renewed calendar to get inspired to design and construct! Rubbish Renewed is calling all creatives to find the inherent beauty in the trash around you. Delve into its unique characteristics: Is it stiff? Does it flow? Does it create volume on its own? How can it be attached? Discover the essence of the material and see the form emerge.

Things that are stiff and can create and maintain shape: