Paragon, by Project Trashion, was presented on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the UW Federation Hall. With two full house shows in one day, students, families, sponsors, and supporters attended Paragon.
“When I applied to volunteer, I never expected to see something like this,” Ishika Talwar, a Project Trashion volunteer, said.
Project Trashion aims to “foster and grow a culture of sustainability” by using art, fashion, and community activism.
Paragon was an eco-fashion show that showcased outfits from local sustainable businesses, thrift stylists, and waste designers—all sharing the same platform.
“I have seen the work of some of these stylists before,” Talwar said. “I find it extremely incredible how innovative the clothes are.”
The show was divided into three segments: Sustainable Businesses, Thrift Designers, and Waste Designers.
“In my opinion, the three segments were meant to show a mix of modernization and sustainability,” Talwar said.
The first segment involved local businesses that promoted sustainable and conscious consumption. It featured clothes from MadMonk, B.A.D Closet, Odt, and House of Bamboo.
“We can always have a sustainable future. The ultimate step is to reduce consumption,” Yoshitake Matsuzaki, the founder and president of Project Trashion, said to the audience.
With a mission to reinvent creativity by reusing clothes, the second segment showed works of Sebastian Sukhu, Sierra Aston, Batoula Dowcet, Nish Chatlani, and Trisha Aldovino.
Sukhu’s futuristic line took the audience to the year 3018 with a visionary style while Aston’s was more colourful and bright.
“The clothes designed by Sierra Aston are crazy and fun and do not follow any rules,” Sasmitaa Nadarajah, emcee of Paragon, said.
The third and final segment, called the Waste Designer segment, showcased looks put together by Trashion designers Denise Li, Emily Bendeck, and Riya Raj Gogoi. This segment intended to use fashion to change how we view plastic.
Li’s line, Oceanic Black, was inspired by artist Kanye West’s album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It portrayed degradation of the environment, as caused by pollution.
Bendeck’s collection displayed the divide between man and nature, and the four elements- fire, air, water, and earth.
With a vision to motivate preservation of the environment, Gogoi’s line indicated industrialization as well as the beauty of nature.
Project Trashion will be accepting applications for their next show in summer.
