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Trashy, yet classy design |
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Written by Morgan Kriz
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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 |
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 Haute Trash makes its second appearance at the Tahoe Truckee Earth Day celebration. Haute Trash will bring viewers a runway packed with all new fashions for the whole family on the main stage from 3 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.
Models are being gathered from all around the bio-region — and this promises to be yet another mind-boggling episode in trash fashion history. Emceeing the show will be Daria Kent of Nevada County Recycles and rock star Kenny Miele. The mission of Haute Trash is to create and produce performance art of the highest professional quality, and to perform it before the broadest possible audience. They create fashion out of trash in order to entertain, educate and empower others to rethink, reuse and recycle.
Miyabe Kimono, designed and modeled by Chako San. Made from the
trash from Chako's sushi restaurant in Seattle. Photo by Rachel Olsson.
The show seeks to break down the boundaries of stereotypical beauty and fashion by celebrating bodies of all sizes, shapes and ages through humor and satire. Haute Trash is a troupe of resourceful artists who produce runway fashion shows featuring haute couture made from society’s trash. Through art they will change the way you see the world.
Be sure to check out www.hautetrash.org
 Talking Trash:
Kathi Griffis, a.k.a. Prima Debris, has been involved with trash fashion since 1986. She has produced dozens of shows since Haute Trash’s California “rebirth” in 2001 and currently serves on the Haute Trash Board of Directors.
Kathi Griffis took the time to answer a few questions via e-mail from Tahoe World Associate Editor Morgan Kriz. Here are her responses:
Austin Powers Suit, modeled by Loren Beardsley, designed by Prima Debris. Made from organic potting soil bags and white kitchen trash bags. Photo by Kristie Maxim.
Tahoe World: Where do you get most of your materials from?
Kathi Griffis: Our designers have numerous sources for raw materials. Myself — I find most of my trash alongside the road, or in my own personal trash. When I’m cycling, it gives me a great opportunity to spy roadside debris. Usually I find a way to pack it on my bike, but sometimes I have to come back for it in my car! It always hurts when you’re driving along a busy freeway, and you see great trash and you can’t stop for it. Other sources are Dumpster, landfills, and thrift store “free boxes”. Trash is everywhere. And you would be surprised how much stuff comes to us from friends and fans, people who have seen our shows. They can’t help but save up good trash to give to our designers. I’ve had to learn to sift through these donations and not always say yes.
 TW: Where do the fashion ideas/designs come from?
KG: I’m sure each designer would answer this question differently. I’ll speak for myself and say that, often, the design inspiration will come from the trash itself. Rarely have I ever sat down ahead of time and drawn out what something is going to look like. The materials determine what shape they will take. Other times, I do get inspiration from high fashion magazines, like “Ooh, I’d like to make THAT in clear plastic!”
I was making a trashy bridal gown for my daughter, and spent weeks pouring over Bride magazines, choosing my favorite features from various gowns, then combining them into one monstrously large dress, created from white plastic pallet wrap from my local garden shop.
Puffy Packing Pellets, modeled by Elle Poubelle and designed by Alotta Detritus. Made from black bird netting and packing peanuts.
Photo by Rachel Olsson.
TW: Your daughter Katie designs trash fashion as well. What does that mean to you? How is it working with her?
KG: I love it! Actually, BOTH of my daughters are designers of trash fashion. My older daughter Aria (Harding) made her first pieces in 2003. Her design line is called Toxic Blonde Productions. She is currently kept pretty busy with two young daughters, but manages to find time to make high fashion from her laundry lint and dryer sheets! She also serves on our Board of Directors.
Katie did her senior project on Haute Trash, and made her first pieces for a show in 2005. I love to watch their creative processes, and see how they’ll go about attacking a certain material. And of course I love to be on hand to offer technical advice. I love it when Katie calls me to tell me she just scored yards and yards of tyvek that blew off the side of a building under construction. She used a pattern for the first time last year, to make a smart little business suit out of two plaid rafts that she’d found on the Deschutes River. It came out beautiful, and I was so proud! She currently lives in Bend, Oregon and is our liaison up there. After a show for the Oregon Recyclers last summer, the Bend Bulletin recently published a fabulous article about Haute Trash, and Katie in particular, in their quarterly “U” Magazine.
TW: Do you look at all trash items like a piece of art?
KG: Well no, not ALL. But a surprising amount of trash is truly beautiful. Sometimes an elaborately designed packaging material is just too pretty to throw away, whether it’s a chip bag, or a chocolate bar wrapper.
 TW: What do you most enjoy about doing what you do?
KG: I like to travel and do shows in far away places, which we are getting to do more and more of. I also like the challenge of putting a show together. Figuring out who will fit into what. I am constantly having to remind myself to keep creating new pieces!
TW: Can you tell us about your most intricate piece of work? The most memorable piece of work?
KG: My own most intricate piece was probably an ensemble called “Zip It”, a skirt and halter top made entirely from zippers, and the zipper packaging. I sewed hundreds of zippers together to create this.
Most memorable is one called “Inner Visions” that I made from bicycle inner tubes. I sewed them together on my old treadle sewing machine, and it was very challenging. You had to sew it in a particular direction or it didn’t work. I spent a LOT of time ripping it out, turning it around, and sewing it again. And YES, you can actually ride a bike in it!
TW: You have been involved with trash fashion since 1986. What keeps you going on creating trash into fashion?
KG: I guess what keeps me going is that there is still so darn much trash out there to be had, free for taking! One would think that after a while it would be hard to come up with something new and interesting, but our designers never cease to amaze me! What keeps me going is seeing how much our audience enjoys a show, and the incredible amount of fun that the designers and models have while putting on a show. This has been a labor of love for a couple of decades now.
Just last year, we received our non-profit status, and we are hoping to explore grant opportunities, which will make this a more financially viable art form for our producers and designers. We also have plans to create a strong educational component.
TW: Could your designs actually be worn everyday or are they just for show? Is there a movement going in the fashion world for more sustainable fashion?
KG: Most of the clothes you will see in our show are not designed to be worn for long periods of time, though I notice that lately, I’m seeing more “wearable” pieces. We’ve talked about creating items for sale for “real world wear,” but our shows tend to be made up of more novelty designs. A couple of years ago, I was commissioned to make a prom dress. And one of our designers has been asked to make a wedding dress! There does seem to be a movement towards sustainable fashion, but that term seems almost like an oxymoron to me.
“Fashion” dictates style, and being “in style” often means tossing out last year’s clothing to replace it with the latest fashion. Until this changes, how can fashion really be sustainable?
TW: What can people expect from the Haute Trash Fashion show at the North Lake Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Festival?
KG: This promises to be a high-energy show for the whole family. We’ll be on the main stage this year. You’ll see some 30 new designs, challenging you to reflect, reform, reconsider and resolve. We’ve got a number of local models enlisted, and Emcees will be Daria Kent of Nevada County Recycles, and Kenny Miele. Watch for such sensations as: The Beach Ball Babe, the Federal Reserve Sundress, the Recycle Bag Leisure Suit, and the EPA Pie Chart Circle Skirt.
 TW: Do you feel spectators of the fashion show take away something more than just seeing trash on a model?
KG: Yes, we try to educate our audience while keeping them thoroughly entertained. Do it in a fun way, so they don’t realize they are being brain washed! (Just kidding!) We like to think our audience goes home with the inspiration to make sustainable choices.
TW: Who are the designers for this year's show?
Prima Debris — Kathi Griffis
Radiant Waste Productions — Katie Griffis (Kathi’s daughter)
Rayona Visqueen — Robin Worley
Redusa D’Trash — Cirrus Angelico
Elvira Mental Werks — Judy Nielsen and Shaun Muscolo
Chicca Plastique — Soleil Smith Normand (our youngest designer at 13)
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 April 2008 )
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