Author: Emily Mahoney

By Emily Mahoney.

The first question I had when approaching the Trashion team was, what is Trashion? Having seen the sleek, yet somewhat cryptic Instagram page, I was enthralled. I knew I needed to find out more about this new initiative. Shirley Chu, the co-president of Trashion, explained to me that Trashion is part of Enactus, a social enterprise situated in universities across the world which funds students to create products that generate real sustainable progress for themselves and the communities they are in.  

Now how does Trashion fit into this organisation? Shirley informed me that Trashion is one of Enactus’ commercial projects, and the money that they raise from their events goes on to fund other important Enactus projects in Durham, such as Taka Taka Zero, the Ugly Fruit Group and Glow Cycle. In this way, the Trashion team can fund and help other charitable endeavours, alongside their own goals of raising awareness around sustainability. Shirley makes it clear that their main goal is to, ‘shed light on the polluting effects of the fashion industry and help the next generation of changemakers find a new mindset’.

Kate Kellow, their creative director, explains how they are planning to hold a static fashion presentation which displays upcycled garments made from waste material and fabrics. These pieces would be designed and crafted, by hand, by Durham students such as Kate herself. She tells me that she even repurposes and upcycles her own clothes in her spare time, and that she is thrilled to be able to use her love for sewing in such a meaningful way. Alongside this event they will be holding sewing workshops (all abilities welcome) and litter picking, as well as running collaborations with various climate and sustainable societies. When asked how she would approach shopping sustainably, Kate told me, ‘the best thing to do would be to look in charity shops, on Depop, Thrifted or Vinted for what you want first before buying it from Zara, because you could find something nicer and cheaper that will last you longer’, and, ‘ignore trend cycles, buy good quality pieces that you will re-wear again and again’. Her favourite recommendation is Second Hand Soph, a website full of second-hand clothing that has grown from a Depop page.

Eva Sayers, Trashion’s Marketing Executive, discussed some of the reasons why she feels that Trashion fills a hole in Durham; ‘There’s a lack of funding for creative outlets in Durham, the university is generally sports-dominated with less of an importance placed on the arts and there are plenty of people who want to be creative directors, fashion and graphic designers etc., but they need a project they can engage with and express their creativity in, and I believe that Trashion can be that project’. She tells me that they are going to have specific Trashion bins in the library and TLC, with the rubbish that students contribute being used to create the garments for the exhibition. Eva thinks that, ‘if people have their cans, they should put them in the sustainable Trashion bin, and then eventually, [they can] see their rubbish in the clothing at the exhibition’, and know that, ‘they have contributed which shows the process,’ that goes beyond, ‘just putting it in the bin and not seeing or thinking about where it goes’. This definitely sparks a thought-provoking conversation about our own, ‘Trash’, and where the things that we put in the bin eventually end up. I am incredibly excited to see the final pieces.

One important thing that shone through to me about Trashion is the lack of judgement. They are aware that not all students can afford to purchase clothing from small sustainable businesses and have an extremely healthy perspective on it. Often sustainability can be pricey, as buying handmade or sustainable things is undoubtedly more expensive than the newest drop-shipped top from SHEIN. Although Kate tells me that, ‘however small it starts, seeing your own contribution to sustainability is incredibly important.’

This new and growing team have so many inspiring ideas for both raising awareness for sustainability and raising funds for other incredible Durham based projects. The Trashion team are looking for creative people who want to get involved with design and making garments, but there are roles for both creatives and more logistical people. This cause is so incredibly important and Trashion’s emphasis on teamwork, (which can be observed through the way that their team works so cohesively together), speaks volumes for the future success of their endeavour.

Watch this space and follow them on Instagram to hear more about this incredible project.