Innovative Sustainable Fashion Shines at Bates College Trashion Show

Bates College just wrapped up its 20th annual Trashion Show, and wow, it was something else. Students, faculty, and staff hit the runway in outfits made entirely from everyday waste—think bottle caps, hammock fabric, and crushed cans.

The Bates student EcoReps put the event together to get everyone thinking about campus waste and sustainability. This year’s show was packed with inventive designs, and, not too surprisingly, Grace Thomas ’26 and Annie Robinson ’26 snagged the top prize again with their wild, detailed outfit.

Grace Thomas and Annie Robinson: Defending Champions

Grace Thomas and Annie Robinson have really become the faces of the Trashion Show at Bates. Last year, they took first place with a ballgown made from rolled-up academic papers.

This time, they wanted to shake things up. They leaned into metal bottle caps and other recycled bits, creating a denim skirt out of old jeans, then layering it with paper ribbons, turquoise hammock fabric, and a mountain of crushed cans.

The top was a chaotic, colorful blend—cardboard, plastic, and fabric, all stitched and glued together, then topped off with bottle caps. It was bold and kind of daring, honestly.

The Creative Process

They didn’t waste any time after last year’s win. The day after, they started brainstorming, determined to top themselves.

There were Pinterest boards, messy sketches, and a lot of late-night ideas. Every material had a backstory—a friend’s torn jeans, hammock fabric from outside their old dorm, even random finds that somehow fit perfectly.

Robinson mentioned that friends and even strangers chipped in with materials. One of the funnier moments? Digging bottle caps out of a secret stash in Turner Hall that had apparently been growing for years, just for laughs.

That sense of everyone pitching in made the whole thing feel special. It wasn’t just about the clothes—it was about the people behind them.

Other Notable Designs

Thomas and Robinson might’ve grabbed the spotlight, but plenty of other outfits deserved a double take. Here are a few that stood out:

• Professor Kirk Read’s Academic Gown: Read and Kerry O’Brien pieced together an academic gown from an old tablecloth and decorated it with ginkgo leaves. It was a sweet nod to the ginkgo tree by Carnegie Science Hall.
• Elle Stogel, Caroline Mayer, Vyshu Viju, and Ellie Millard: Their dress was a mix of shredded paper, tissues, and real maple leaves, drawing attention to how climate change is messing with Maine’s maple sugar industry.
• Shay Campolongo: Campolongo showed off a skirt and shirt made from over 200 film slides. Who knew photographic waste could look so cool?
• Ava Teleki: Teleki turned yogurt and milk containers into a surprisingly stylish outfit. It’s wild what you can do with stuff most people toss in the bin.

Judging and Awards

The judging panel was a real mix: Michael Staffenski from culinary and retail, German professor Jakub Kazecki, campus safety supervisor Mark Cayer, environmental studies assistant professor Christine Martinez, and James Reese from Global Education.

They judged the outfits on creativity, materials, and the overall effect. Professor Read took second place, and a group from the first-year seminar “Family Stories” landed third with a design full of paper birds and other detailed paper work.

The Significance of Trashion

The Trashion Show isn’t just about wild outfits—it’s a reminder that sustainability takes effort and imagination. Bates hit carbon neutrality in 2019, but the show keeps the conversation going about waste and creative problem-solving.

There’s a real sense of camaraderie, too. Everyone’s in it together, swapping ideas and cheering each other on, which, honestly, is half the fun.

Looking Ahead

The Trashion Show keeps getting bigger every year. It’s honestly kind of wild how much it’s caught on, and you can see other schools picking up on the idea too.

This event doesn’t just talk about sustainability—it actually gets people to think differently. Folks come up with some truly creative stuff.

Thomas and Robinson put in a ton of work this year. Their win feels well-earned, and you can tell they’ve built some strong friendships along the way.

They’re graduating soon, which is bittersweet. Still, I bet their efforts will stick around and push future Bates students to keep turning trash into treasure.

Want more details or to watch the whole thing? Check out the official Bates College news page.