Junk to Funk Eco fashion show at TCA ‘was a great turnout’

The Tecumseh Center for the Arts (TCA) Annual Junk to Funk Eco Fashion Show was held last Saturday, April 18. Fifteen contestants overall competed to see who could design the best piece of clothing out of recyclable materials or items that are usually thrown away. The show, held at the TCA, focuses on being eco-friendly by crafting items from renewable resources, with the idea that recyclable items can be used to create garments that are fashion chic and healthy for the environment. Shelley Lim, Director of Cultural and Leisure Services in the Parks and Recreation Department, helped put on the event that not only featured the fashion show, but also a silent auction and a time-based competition called Fashion Wars. “We had a little over 200 people. It was a great turnout,” Lim said. The show featured several unique outfits, including a dress made from recycled plastic that lit up, a ball gown with a skirt composed of coffee filters, and an outfit made entirely out of kitty litter bags. The show encouraged participants to be creative, and to use objects that normally wouldn’t be considered for clothing. “There were a lot of unique things. One contestant made a dress entirely out of deli tickets, and we hadn’t seen that before,” Lim said. Participants ranged in ages six to 50. It was free to enter. The judges for this year were Brooke Treloar, Gregg Perez, and Amie Pelham. The Judge’s Choice award went to “Coffee Shop Couture,” created by Abby Mendez, Hanna Betzoldt and Sarah Jacques. The Best Use of Recycled Materials Award was a tie. Team Goodwill created a “Shred of Decency,” which tied with Eileen Hensen, Cheryl Stout, Ruby Eanes, Sue Kelly, and Deanna May-Whitman, creators of “The Litter Box,” which also won People’s Choice Award. Kimberlee Oesterling won Most Innovative for her untitled work.The Fashion Wars segment was particularly thrilling, according to Lim. Two teams had 30 minutes to compose an entirely new outfit out of old costumes from the TCA, as well as a secret recyclable material. The two teams were the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, as well as local beauty shop, The Hair Studio, located at 1113 W. Beecher Street in Adrian. Team TCA had to use coffee filters to create a new garment, while The Hair Studio was given Dixie cups. The Hair Studio ultimately won the competition. “We gave them crazy items, like a sequined blazer and checkered polyester pants. It was interesting to see what they came up with,” Lim stated.The show began at 6:30 p.m. and ended at 8 p.m. Along with the show and Fashion Wars, a silent auction was held. There were multiple items up for auction from various members of the community as well as businesses in the area. Items included a gift basket of various food items from Busch’s, as well as recyclable items crafted by local residents. Some of the recyclable items included a wine rack made from old wooden pallets, created by Brookside Cemetery. Lenawee county local Rainey Lopez modified a 100-year-old barn siding wall into a piece that looked like the state of Michigan. “It was awesome,” Lim said. “Really amazing to look at.”

Tecumseh Herald

 

110 E. Logan St.
P.O. Box 218
Tecumseh, MI 49286
517-423-2174
800-832-6443

Email Us

FacebookTwitter

Latest articles

Please Login for Premium Content