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Trashy fashions featured in SWANCC show at Oakton

Fashions from trash. That's the idea behind the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County fashion show, now in its ninth year, where the designs are created from rescued or reclaimed materials that were destined for the landfill.

This year's theme was "Heroes of Our Universe," and showcased more than 20 artistic interpretive designs.

Outfits were made from items such as used table linens or bed sheets; Halloween costumes; dryer sheets; worn-out or stained clothes; flooring samples; packaging materials; assorted bags and papers.

"The Trashy Fashion Show is an opportunity to have fun while highlighting the importance of source reduction - reduce and reuse, which is even better than recycling," said Mary Allen, SWANCC's recycling and education director.

The show was Nov. 12 at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. Videos and photos of Trashy Fashion Shows are at swancc.org/programs/trashy-fashion-show.

  Mara Atristain, 17, of Palatine shows off a wedding dress made from used Peapod and Mariano's plastic shopping bags, paper strips, a clear plastic grocery bag, white twist-ties and an old pair of earrings. Lead designer Allie Nowak and assistant Alyssa Incrocci had help from 35 other students at Fremd High School. Their hero was Vera Wang, an art history major, who had little experience in fashion before becoming a senior fashion editor for Vogue, then a design director at Ralph Lauren, and later became known for her own wedding dresses and figure skating outfits. Wang exemplifies the American dream, they said. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Roxanne Lisowsky, 15, of Hoffman Estates shows off the Elements of our Earth dress she designed and made from repurposed grocery bags. The bracelets and hairpiece were created by braiding the linings of bags. The necklace is made from zip ties. Roxanne used an alternating diamond pattern to show how we are connected to Mother Earth, with red representing fire, green plant life, blue the sky and waters, and black the soil. "We are tasked with taking care of the earth today to ensure that future generations have what we have. Due to limited resources, our society needs to consume less and conserve more. This outfit is my way to encapsulate all of our earth's treasures." Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  AnaMar Gomez shows off the "I Have a Dream" dress she designed with Ana Carmona, Talia Tucci and Karla Carmona at Fremd High School. The designers repurposed an old dress along with other textiles and note cards to create their outfit and accessories. They selected the color blue because it symbolizes tranquillity and peace, which ties in nicely with their hero, Martin Luther King Jr. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Aly Ferry shows off the "Run the World" dress she designed with Rebecca Bora at Fremd High School. They fashioned their dress after one that their hero, Beyoncé, wore while performing. Materials include an old camisole, a black canvas bag and a chalkboard sticker. The skirt is made of triangles. Gems from an old art project are incorporated into the belt, earrings and neckline.The designers selected Beyoncé as a modern hero who they said stands up for issues prevalent for their generation, is a feminist, has songs about the pressures to fit in and is a successful entrepreneur who uses her fame for good. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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