Category Archives: Rubbish Renewed

New Venue – The Pavilion!

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The cats out of the bag – Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show will transform the Bend Pavilion! A new chapter. A new wave.

Rubbish Renewed has made the rounds of event venues in Bend. Our first 3 years, starting in 2010, we celebrated at the Century Center. They provided the perfect venue – huge open space, an energizing vibe, and few rules. That was old Bend. In 2013, the Century Center indoor venue was divided and repurposed into small businesses. The huge space gone, Rubbish Renewed set out to find another home.

Bend is lacking in large, indoor, open event venues. After countless failures we finally procured the Armory Gym down near the Old Mill. The location was ideal, close for walking, and dedicated parking. The Gym atmosphere, however, was hard to transform, and the military systems challenging to negotiate.

In 2015 we moved again and made our home for 5 years by converting the Midtown Ballroom into a mesmerizing setting. Look forward to a post highlighting the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show, years 6-10.

After 2 years of pandemic closures, it’s time for a Rubbish Renewed Revival! A huge, diverse space, open to the environment, brings opportunities . . . the Pavilion!

Material Manipulation from Waste to Wearability

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THE REINCARNATION OF EARLY 20TH CENTURY WOOL COATS

My great uncle made braided rugs during the Great Depression and World War 2. Living in Roundup Montana, the winters were long and cold. He gathered worn out woolen coats and scraps from family and neighbors, and spent hours deconstructing garments, stripping fabric, and manipulating the newly formed strips into braids. This rubbish renewed process was normal during those lean times, making use of material that was finished from its original purpose, into something new and enduring. I grew up with Uncle Albert’s brightly colored, patterned rugs. One he made in later years still covers the floor of my childhood home, strong and seemingly unworn.

The rug that was in my aunt’s basement apartment, for as long as I remember, was an early version. When Betty passed, we discarded and distributed dozens of items. A few we kept. The rug, riddled with holes, was something to save for a later date. That time has arrived.

I transported the giant rug, weighing somewhere around 70lbs, back to Bend. Dragging it into my living room, like a body bag (luckily my partner was out of town), it was too big to unfold in my tiny Old Bend home. I left it in quarters and unlaced the braids, years of embedded debris falling free into the air and carpet (I donned a mask). Then the real work began.

I think unbraiding takes as long as braiding. The strands tangle and it’s necessary to cut out overly worn parts before separating the kinky quadra-folded strands into colors. The fabric unfolds in the process of washing each color group on the hand wash cycle in my front loader.

Now a ball of snarled fabric I untangle again, iron the lengths, and hang them to dry. The outside of the fabric is exceedingly worn even in areas without holes every inch. For now, I’ve rolled them up into spools by color and weight.

My next process is to cut the strands apart at the seams and remove those areas too perforated with holes. I’ll resew the bias cuts together with the insides now the face. My goal is to create a new coat, some parts re-braided and others sewn. I’ll keep you posted as my process continues on the reincarnation of an early 20th century wool coat.

Get inspired by the waste around you, and send us your material manipulation inspiration! What will you create for the May 20th, 2023 Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show!

Celebrate Sustainable Practices – 2020 Business Challenge Posted

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Click here to access the 2020 Business Challenge Runway Gallery

Photo: Jazmine Turner Photography

As individual community members we have a responsibility to think about our choices and take actions to minimize our impact on the earth, but it is exponentially important for businesses to do the same. Poor waste management contributes to climate change, air pollution, and directly affects ecosystems and species. Reducing the carbon footprint of their products, creating initiatives to help employees reduce their impact, producing a climate conscious workplace, are all ways that businesses can step up their sustainability.

That’s why we love the Rubbish Renewed Business Challenge! We get to highlight the sustainable work of local businesses who take their impact seriously.

Each year a group of businesses come together to celebrate sustainability, support Realms education, and compete for the Coveted Trash Trophy.

Celebrate the 2020 Business Challenge Runway participants through the captivating photos of Jazmine Turner Photography’s Mindy J. Turner and SHE Photography’s Suzette Hibble!

Photo: SHE Photography

We’re Back! Date Announced

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New Season . . . Spring . . . Saturday, May 20th 2023!

The revival of Rubbish Renewed creates opportunities. One of these inspired a new season, Spring. Spring offers fresh venue ideas, novel designs, and more time for motivated student and adult designers to conceptualize and construct.

The design, creation, and application are a months-long process for designers to engage in and learn about waste, personal actions, design, creation skills, and determination, culminating in the professional feel of the show!

Just 4 months away. What will you create?

Save the Date: Saturday, May 20th 2023! Submission deadline one month before

Electrifying Trash Fashion – 2020 Adult Gallery Posted

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Click here to access the 2020 Adult Runway Gallery

Photo: SHE Photography
Photo: Jazmine Turner Photography

Rubbish Renewed has developed into a showcase for talented community artists. Many designers submit year after year inspired to up their game in sustainability, material manipulation, and style each event. Pieces tell a variety of stories like the challenges of medical waste, excessive packaging from our mail order and coffee on-the-go obsessions, and how to transform discards into truly wearable art.

Check out these electrifying trash fashion pieces on the 2020 runway through Jazmine Turner Photography’s Mindy J. Turner and SHE Photography’s Suzette Hibble’s compelling photos!

Who’s your favorite Rubbish Renewed Designer? What will they create for the 2023 Spring Show?

Photo: SHE Phototgraphy

Rubbish Renewed Revival

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After the nearly 2-year plunge into the pandemic, we are finally coming up for air and reviving Rubbish Renewed!

Student designers/models – unaware of life changes ahead. Photo: Jazmine Turner Photography

The pandemic seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly life drastically changed. As teachers, we had to rethink, redesign, readjust, and renew our commitment to students in a completely new environment. The first balls dropped were the things not immediately in front of us. Rubbish Renewed fell into the pandemic abyss.

Now, somewhat adjusted to our new normal, it’s time to reacquaint ourselves with the Rubbish Renewed mission and inflate the balls that we dropped after the 10th annual Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show!

Scraps from old dress, upholstery project, old pillow sham, aunt’s closet . . .

During the pandemic many of us included in our lives the essence of the Rubbish Renewed tagline – transforming trash, inspiring community for a sustainable earth! Discarded scraps of fabric became one of the most common community connectors. Ordinary people created masks for family, friends and colleagues, out of those little pieces of fabric they just couldn’t throw away. My sister, a Rubbish Renewed designer from the past 2 shows, lives in Belgium. She made more than 200 masks to give to family, friends, and neighbors. And that’s a tiny amount compared to some.

Email us your pandemic story that communicates the intention of the Rubbish Renewed mission to rubbishrenewed@gmail.com. We will share some in future posts at http://atomic-temporary-26094847.wpcomstaging.com

Coming Soon:

Anticipate mesmerizing photos by Jazmine Turner Photography and SHE Photography from the 2020 show that share the 10th annual and look ahead to Rubbish Renewed Revival!

Photo: SHE Photography

And the Business Challenge Winner is . . .

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Penny Lash, with Penny Trash!!!

Designer Panambi Elliott does it again with her signature style, meticulously manipulating business waste, and brought to life on the runway by Leah Nagel.

 
 

Left Photo by: random Friend; Right Photo by: Rebecca Penny

 

Who will get your Business Challenge Vote?

Gallery

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This gallery contains 3 photos.

For our 10th year and our 9th Business Challenge we have 8 local businesses competing for the 2020 Rubbish Renewed’s Coveted Trash Trophy! Each year a group of businesses come together to celebrate sustainability, support REALMS education, and have some … Continue reading →

Years 4-5: The History of Rubbish Renewed

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In 2013, the Century Center broke up the space we had been using, and Rubbish Renewed set out to find another home. Bend is lacking in large open event venues, and after countless failures, finally we procured the Armory Gym down near the Old Mill. The location was ideal, close for walking, and dedicated parking. The Gym atmosphere, however, was hard to transform, and the military systems challenging to negotiate. We moved the venue and rescheduled the event to January 2014.

 
 
 
Designer: Vanessa Granger Materials: Chip bags
Designer: Olivia Rose Barnes Materials: Biking materials and parts Quote: “I learned that trash is never gone but with some creativity we can make magic happen!”
Designer:

Photos by Tambi Lane photography

Year 4: Of 46 Central Oregon designers submitting garments, 23 of them were students from 9 local schools (3 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high schools). Rubbish Renewed had taken its spot as a place where young, inspired designers had a chance to try their hand at a public runway event! Not only had Rubbish Renewed become an outlet for students around the district, locals were taking ownership of the event too! Beyond designers we had 21 sponsors, 9 Business Challenge participants, 11 local vendors, 60+ volunteers!

 
 
 
Serial Designer: Kelly Powell Model: Sasha Lawless Materials: Fused plastic bags
The “Tentalizing” Tarpaulin Designer: Karen Holm Model: Marley Weedman Materials: Old Blue Tarps
Wild Warrior Dog Woman Designer: Simone Kujak Model: Robbie Bianchi Materials: Plastic Feed Bags

Photos by Tambi Lane photography

Year 5: The 5th annual Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion show was the best ever! More fun, more energy and more style. With professional sponsors like Sonic Solution generating our runway and lights, Flip Flop Sounds creating the shows background buzz, with the nimble hands of the stylists from Bishops Barbershop and Velvet finessing our bar, our humble beginnings had blossomed into a full blown anticipated event. We saw just under 1000 people in our 2 shows (students, adults & business) and they rose to the challenge, keeping a passion for the planet front and center! Our trash for the night is highlighted in the photo below! (Everything else was reused, recycled, or composted).

Years 1-3: The History of Rubbish Renewed

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Once Rubbish Renewed sneaked onto the Bend scene in 2010, our first 3 years premiered at the Century Center. They provided the perfect venue – huge open space, a modular stage and few rules. We had our own bar provided by Plum & Boneyard, a cozy marketplace as you walked in, and moody lighting.

Year 1: there was 1 runway show with a total of 23 garments (compared to 57 split into 2 shows for 2020), and one designer made 5 of them! Diverse materials, from the launch of fused plastic as fashion, to beanie babies turned into a faux fur coat, graced the runway.

 
 
 
Designer: Renee Owens
Designer: Mai Nguyen
Designer: Nichole Cuddihy

Year 2: our first Business Challenge garments battled it out on the runway from ReStore, Wabi Sabi, Cuppa Yo, The Horned Hand, Utilitu Sew and the Environmental Center. Cuppa Yo won the 1st coveted trash trophy designed by, now 4 time winning designer, Panambi Elliott! Skillfully manipulated materials from bicycle tubes and slides, to a kiddy pool and Capri Sun containers raised the runway bar. And we added a 2nd show!

 
 
 
Designer: Allison Murphy
Designer: Panambi Elliott
Designer: Paula Bullwinkel

Year 3: On the runway were 19 student designers up from 9 the year before! 2 of the Business Challenge entries were made by 2 of our talented students. And bags dominated the material cache: plastic and canvas grocery bags, dog food, ramen, paella, and coffee bags.

 
 
 
Designers: Sara Weiner & Karlin Hedin
Designer: Barb Campbell – Wabi Sabi
Designer: Paris Draheim – Barrio

Check out last year’s posts on the Birth of Rubbish Renewed: Part 1 & Part 2, to get the background on our start.

Look for Years 4-5: The History of Rubbish Renewed coming soon.