Behind the Scene Designer Series: Artist 2 – Sara Wiener & Karlin Hedin

For our second artist, in our Behind the Scene Designer Series, we have the design team from Sara Bella Upcycled: Sara Wiener & Karlin Hedin. Sara Bella Upcycled has been a supporter of Rubbish Renewed since our inception when Sara donated bags for under the seat prizes. Each year Sara Bella Upcycled has participated as a Marketplace Vendor, Adult Designer or Business Challenge Designer. We love having this creative team transforming trash, inspiring community for a sustainable earth.

(link to 1st post of the series)

Artist 2 – Sara Wiener & Karlin Hedin

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SARA BELLA UPCYCLED Business Challenge
Materials: shoe rubber
Photo: Tambi Lane Photography

RR: What do you do in real life when you’re not designing and creating trash fashion?

SB:  Mom, ski, workout, run Sara Bella Upcycled

RR: How did you get started as a trash fashion designer?

SB:  I opened Sara Bella Upcycled and decided to make wearable pieces out of plastic bags.

RR: What inspires your creations?

SB:  Various types of everyday clothing and event specific clothing, such as a wedding dresses, raincoats, chaps, vests, strapless dresses and boustiers, inspire me. Karlin and I collaborate on our designs. I design the fabric and she sews the garment. We work as a team on all of our creations at Sara Bella Upcycled and we love what we do.

RR: What is your current goal as a Trash Fashion Designer?

SB:  My hope is to get enough plastic wrap from the SHE (Sustainable Health Enterprises) menstrual pads packaging to make a fashion piece out of. This would be a special way of acknowledging the amazing work SHE does in Rwanda for girls and women and to acknowledge my daughter’s (Bella) work to raise $50-60 thousand dollars for SHE through the Kilimanjaro SHE Climb in June of 2015.

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Materials: Fused plastic bags
Photo: Tambi Lane Photography

This year Bend’s Makers District is one of three headline sponsors for Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show.  The Makers District, located on First and Second streets between Greenwood and Olney avenues, is a collection of local companies in a semi-industrial but accessible city neighborhood. Sara Bella Upcycled is part of this inspired District.

Follow the links below for two other inspired trash fashion pieces created by Sara Bella Upcycled for Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show.  2011, 2010

Behind the Scene Designer Series: Artist 1 – Tiina McDermott

It’s the trash fashion that IS the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show. Without it, there would be no event. Each designer brings his or her unique passion, inspiration, and creativity, but no matter their differences, a common bond lingers: transforming trash, inspiring community for a sustainable earth.

This season on our blog, we’ll showcase some of our artists in our Behind the Scene Designer Series.   Enjoy the journey into the midden with trash fashionistas!

Artist 1 – Tiina McDermott

RR: What do you do in real life when you’re not designing and creating trash fashion?

Designer: Tiina McDermott Materials:

Designer: Tiina McDermott
Materials: Dirt bike inner tubes
Photo: Tambi Lane Photography

TM: I’m a student at COCC and a mom, while working part time.

RR: How did you get started as a trash fashion designer?

TM: I had a friend bring me a bunch of inner tubes, because she was troubled by always tossing them away while working at a local sport shop. She told me I was creative and thought I should be able to come up with something. That’s exactly what I did. Starting with figuring out how to clean the tubes, and then all I had to do was to create something.

RR: What hooked you on our Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show event?

TM: Three years ago I was involved with the marketplace and found that I wanted to participate with the fashion show part more. So, I found a model and started getting into it the last two years.

RR: What inspires your creations?

TM: My daughter is my first inspiration, and I love being sustainable. Working with a material like inner tubes, teaches me to be flexible.

Designer: Tiina McDermott Materials: Dirt bike inner tubes

Designer: Tiina McDermott
Materials: Dirt bike inner tubes
Photo: Tambi Lane Photography

 

The 5th annual Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show is thrilled to welcome Tiina into the Business Challenge competition as the designer for Aspect Boards & Brews’ garment this season! Thanks Tiina for all you bring to the show. We can’t wait to see your trash transformation this year.

2014 Business Challenge Gallery posted!

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ReStore

Check out the newly posted Business Challenge Gallery from last year’s business participants in the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show.  Diverse materials manipulated into creative designs from a group of talented trash fashion artists featuring refuse from local, sustainably-minded businesses!  Enjoy the photos by Tambi Lane Photography.

 

Re-Think Waste – Debris Demolisher

Today I’m sitting in my off the grid 9 foot by 12 foot cabin. A kindling fire generating sauna-like temperatures on this drizzly morning creates a cozy atmosphere. When I’m here, my impact is low. It’s like camping – go to bed when it’s dark and rise with the light. There’s a lot of time for reflection when the world slows down. So I think, or re-think my impact on the world . . .

header-image-homelogoRubbish Renewed is all about re-thinking waste. In fact our tag line is Transforming trash, inspiring community for a sustainable earth. The purpose of trash fashion is to inspire individual and community thinking to shift and more importantly to motivate people to action.

Set an intention. What shift can you make from now on to lessen your impact on the earth?

P1040041-265x185The Rethink Waste Project helps Deschutes County residents and businesses make a difference through reducing, reusing, recycling and composting. Get all the info you need to rethink your waste at rethinkwastep roject.org. At the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show, use our refuse stations to minimize your impact on our planet.

Boneyard Beer – Debris Demolisher

Skull and wrench guy tee templateThe biggest way I lessen my impact on the environment is to focus my purchasing power locally.  This makes my carbon footprint significantly smaller, especially if I ride my bike or walk to buy it.

Lucky for me, Boneyard Beer is walking distance from my house. An afternoon stroll in the hood often ends in a visit to the tasting room, a hole in the wall in a neighborhood industrial building.  A growler only spot, no bottles, no cans, less impact.

Boneyard was started with one goal I mind: Make a great beer!  To overcome the hurdle of making large quantities without large sums of money, they forged the brewery from beer rendering rubbish, a perfect fit with our Rubbish Renewed mission.

Boneyard 1Lucky for Rubbish Renewed they have supported us since our beginning.  Year two, when we ran out of beer, they hurried home to the warehouse and snatched up another keg.  All the proceeds benefited REALMS!  Thanks Boneyard for your generosity.

This year Boneyard is not only supporting us with beer they are entered in the Business Challenge vying for trash fashion glory!  Check out Boneyard Beer at the Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show. It’s local, uses repurposed equipment, and it’s delicious.

ReStore – Refuse Remover Sponsor

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2012 Business Challenge
Materials: Leather from de-constructed chair, tire chains.creativity.

Transforming trash, inspiring community for a sustainable earth.  Some might say this tag line is a little grand for a fashion show motivated by trash creativity.  But in fact our goal is to educate, inspire,entertain and take action to help create a more sustainably minded community.

Our first year, when we started planning Rubbish Renewed, we searched for like-minded organizations to collaborate with.  We immediately encountered The Bend Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Like us their mission is to engage the community, not just thinking about their impact on the environment, but acting on it.

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Shop. Donate. Volunteer.
ReStore: 740 NE First Street, Bend, Or

If you’ve never been, the ReStore is the ideal place to find treasures of used and surplus home improvement items.  Donate your no longer needed building materials, appliances and home furnishings or discover that special object you were looking for.  All proceeds benefit Bend Area Habitat for Humanity, providing home ownership, home repair & weatherization services for hard-working, low-income local families and individuals.

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2011 Business Challenge
Materials: Blinds, Screening & Plastic Light Covers

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Treasures

With an eye on the environment and the support of an important community cause, ReStore is the go to place for all your home improvement needs.  Check out their offerings including a new “line” of up-cycled merchandise.

Part 2: Remember 2012

Remember year 3 . . .

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  • When Coffee refuse was the base for 3 outfits: 2 students and one of Panambi’s?
  • When one designer made the only pants of the show. 1 of bicycle tubes and 1 of only discarded zippers?
  • When plastic bags were woven into a fine twill fabric that was unrecognizable?
  • When bowling shoes were a stable corset?
  • When our MC walked the runway in an auction item?
  • When there were 2 umbrellas made into garments?
  • When comic book pages were manipulated into beads for an intricate dress?
  • When Pokeman cards transformed into samurai armor?

 Check out the newly posted Gallery, Runway 2012 Adult Designers, featuring the rest of the garments from last year!

Part 1: Remember 2012 . . .

RREFS_2012-6775Remember year 3 . . .

  • When we had 19 inspiring garments designed and made by students?
    • 3 by elementary school students
    • 12 by middle school students
    • 4 by high school students
  • When 2 of the 8 business challenge garments were made by 2 of our talented student designers?
  • When the list of student materials included:
    • Lots of candy wrappers
    • Bubble wrap
    • Race bib numbers
    • Award ribbons
    • Window screen
    • Shower curtain
    • Newspaper
    • Tissue paper
    • & Bags & bags
      • Canvas grocery bags
      • Plastic grocery bags
      • Ramen bags
      • Dog food bags
      • Paella bags
      • Coffee bags
Check out the new Gallery, Runway 2012 Student Designers, featuring all the student garments from last year!

Submission Forms Now Available!

Submissionrr_logo_only13.jpg Forms are now available!  Remember to read the paperwork carefully for criteria, dates, and deadlines.

2013:14 RR Runway Submission Paperwork

2013:14 Student RR Runway Submission Paperwork

2013:14 RR Business Challenge Runway Submission Paperwork

With the announcement of our new date, the response from artists is overwhelmingly positive.  A little extra time and not backed up with the holiday frenzy seems, from a designers point of view, delightful. The extra 6 weeks not only gives more time for artists, and time to solidify and prep the space, it also gives us added time to get the word out!