Plastic bags, pop tabs, bike tires: 17th annual Trashion Refashion transforms trash into couture

The 17th Annual Trashion Refashion Runway Show returned to Bloomington on Sunday evening (April 12), filling the historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater with a vibrant mix of fashion, performance, and environmental advocacy. Presented by Plato’s Closet, the event once again demonstrated how creativity and sustainability can intersect in bold and unexpected ways.

Doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and by the 7 p.m. start, the theater buzzed with anticipation. The show, emceed by Yaël Ksander and Cydni Robertson, moved at an energetic pace, blending humor, commentary, and education as each look crossed the stage. Their narration guided the audience through the evening, introducing designers, models, and the surprising materials that made each piece possible.

This year’s runway featured more than 50 juried designs, each constructed from at least 90 percent discarded or repurposed materials. The show’s two defining categories—Trashion and Refashion—were both well represented, with garments either pulled directly from the waste stream or reimagined from existing clothing. Designers worked with a range of materials, including plastic bags, pop tabs, bicycle tires, tablecloths, and even pet food containers, transforming everyday waste into couture-level statements.

Presented as both spectacle and statement, the show challenged conventional ideas about fashion and consumption. Some pieces leaned into humor and theatricality, while others carried a more direct environmental message. Together, they demonstrated how discarded materials can be re-envisioned through ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Equally striking was the diversity of the models. Participants of all ages, genders, and body types brought the garments to life, reinforcing the show’s commitment to inclusivity. The runway felt less like an exclusive fashion event and more like a community celebration—one where self-expression and accessibility were central to the experience.

The structure of the show itself reflected that sense of community. Designs were presented in segments, building momentum toward a collective finale in which designers joined their models onstage. The result was not just a showcase of individual creativity, but a shared moment of recognition for everyone involved in bringing the event to life.

Beyond its visual impact, Trashion serves a deeper purpose. The event is a fundraiser for the Center for Sustainable Living, a nonprofit that has spent more than 30 years supporting environmental initiatives in the Bloomington area. Through projects focused on renewable energy, food systems, transportation, and waste reduction, the organization continues to foster grassroots solutions to global challenges.

That mission was woven throughout the evening. Between looks, the audience was reminded that the garments on display were more than artistic experiments—they were practical examples of reuse and resourcefulness. The message was clear: sustainability is not only necessary, but also deeply creative.

The energy in the room built steadily as the show progressed, with each new look drawing applause, laughter, and admiration. By the finale, the audience was fully engaged, celebrating not only the designers and models but the broader vision behind the event.

Now in its 17th year, the Trashion Refashion Runway Show continues to evolve while staying true to its core mission. What began as a niche experiment has grown into a defining event in Bloomington’s arts calendar, one that challenges audiences to rethink waste, fashion, and the possibilities in between.

For those in attendance, the experience was more than just a night at the theater—it was an invitation to see the discarded world differently.

Photos: Trashion Refashion April 12, 2026

[Click on any photo, to arrow or swipe through all the images at full-screen size.]

Opening Look

• Dark Star and Dark Side of the Moon — Designer: Katherine and Karen La Torre — Model: Yaël Ksander and Cydni Robertson

Group I

• A Lovely Bouquet — Designer: Ammina Brown — Model: Jenna Himelick
• The Tea Witch — Designer: Vic Streiff — Model: Vic Streiff
• The Thousand Strap Dress — Designer: Jeanne Smith — Model: Kadi Kingsbury
• Racy Lacey — Designer: Lilah Streiff — Model: Lilah Streiff
• Sun-kissed Silhouette — Designer: Andrea Burkhardt — Model: Andrea Burkhardt
• Shoreline Chic — Designer: Andrea Burkhardt — Model: Juliana Cabra
• Masks Masquerade — Designer: Tatyana Kuzmina — Model: Valeria VanHoff
• Bottleworks — Designers: Imogen Hall and Daren Pitts Redman — Model: Imogen Hall
• Birds & Blooms — Designers: Imogen Hall and Daren Pitts Redman — Model: Luna Hall
• Dad’s Best Gal — Designers: Imogen Hall and Daren Pitts Redman — Model: Ingrid Hall
• A Plethora of Plastic Frillery and Fringe — Designer: Betty Westhues — Model: Ashley Hobbs
• Ziggy Pawstruck — Designers: Carmen and Lori Frye — Model: Carmen Frye
• SuperSonic Strut — Designers: Lori and Leia Frye — Model: Leia Frye
• Scrappy Woveralls — Designer: Sue McCracken — Model: Katie Mitchell
• Once Upon a Mattress — Designer: Betty Davis — Model: Elowyn Wiltz
• Lady Grey — Designer: Hayden Kay — Model: Mama C
• Steamy Little Number — Designer: Hayden Kay — Model: Sophia Wellbaum
• Plastic Vows — Designer: Makayla DeVary — Model: Syd
• Bagged and Bougie — Designer: Katnip — Model: Katnip
• Retro Revival — Designer: Chandra Rettinger — Model: Martha Werbiansky
• Nouveau Nuance — Designer: Chandra Rettinger — Model: Jennifer Robertson
• Country Couture — Designer: Chandra Rettinger — Model: Chandra Rettinger
• Mementos — Designer: Pat Anderson — Model: Ramya Enganti
• Bedroom to Boardwalk — Designer: Pat Anderson — Model: Diane Jung
• New Year’s Party — Designer: Evelina Kruize — Model: Evelina Kruize
• Rug’ed — Designers: Brandon Bennett and Amethyst — Model: Brandon Bennett
• Bathrobe à la Française — Designer: Nicholas Okoskey — Model: Olivia Essebaggers
• White and Green — Designer: Tatyana Kuzmina — Model: Tatyana Kuzmina
• Rebloomed — Designer: Phoenix Childress — Model: Phoenix Childress
• Jean Therapy — Designer: David Ebbinghouse — Model: Niki Washburn
• Waist Not Want Not, Revisited — Designer: David Ebbinghouse — Model: Delaney Parker
• Kind of Blue — Designer: David Ebbinghouse — Model: Emma Hedges
• Marie Trashionette — Designer: Katy Newton — Model: Katy Newton

Group II

• Meet Me at the Rose Bowl — Designer: Zil Then — Model: Hannah Shepherd
• Refuse to Lose — Designer: Jane Matranga — Model: Jane Matranga
• Tickets, Anyone? — Designer: Kathleen Boggess — Model: Laura Hanna
• Rally to Chapter 3 — Designer: Madelyn Rhodes — Model: Madelyn Rhodes
• Bio-Diversity is Not for Sale — Designer: Cynthia Roberts — Model: Cindy Brubaker
• Studio Ghibli Inspired — Designers: Amelia and Kailas McQueen — Model: Kailas McQueen
• Essence of the Flower — Designer: Sadie Hedin — Model: Sadie Hedin
• Buttons Baby — Designer: Carol Hedin — Model: Carol Hedin
• April Showers May Bring Buttons — Designer: Vic Streiff — Model: Vic Streiff
• Everything’s Shiny, Captain! — Designer: Vic Streiff — Model: Leland Culver
• Sakura Dress — Designer: Tatyana Kuzmina — Model: Tatyana Kuzmina
• The Paper Canopy Dress — Designer: Allison Dew — Model: Eesha Vats
• SPLASH! — Designer: Jane Matranga — Model: Danielle Bruce
• This One’s For the Birds — Designer: Mary Beth Schrock — Model: Mary Beth Schrock
• A Ballgown of Buttons — Designer: Eve Arnold — Model: Eve Arnold
• Aquataunt — Designer: Cynthia Roberts — Model: Josephine McCormick
• Mushroamers Mystic Arena — Designer: Cynthia Roberts — Model: Ashley Hobbs
• LONESTAR — Designers: Joshua Sexton and Jett Selke — Model: Jett Selke
• Soul Of A Hobby — Designer: Jenna Himelick — Model: Jenna Himelick
• Mother Nature — Designer: Eesha Vats — Model: Allison Dew
• Ellie Effect — Designer: Evelina Kruize — Model: Evelina Kruize
• Pantone Rainbow — Designers: Rowan Morse and Cereza Ward — Model: Rowan Morse
• A Walk in the Park — Designer: Betty Westhues — Model: Janis Williamson
• The Winter Queen — Designer: Machai St. Rain — Model: Machai St. Rain
• Indian Summer — Designer: Pat Anderson — Model: Ramya Enganti
• The Princess and the Debris — Designer: Audrey Poynter — Model: Linnea Correale
• Aldi’s Angles — Designer: Samim Thorns — Model: Indigo Gordan
• Blue Rapture — Designer: Warren Jackson — Model: Summer McGlothlin
• Enchanted Forest — Designers: Lorena Gamez and Olive Shurr — Model: Olive Shurr
• Vintage Travel — Designer: Katy Newton — Model: Katy Newton
• Golden Samara — Designer: Hannah Shepherd — Model: Hannah Shepherd