Such a great night at the Wenatchee River Institute’s 5th Annual Trashion Show!
On April 24, fans gathered for the fashion event of Leavenworth—the Trashion Show. Seventeen teams competed and brought their best looks, all made from upcycled trash—recycled materials and clothing items. The event brought fun and creativity to an important issue: sustainability. It was an all-ages affair, with competitors in the middle school, high school, family and adult categories, and gorgeous weather for the audience.
Image: 2026 Trashion Show judges.
The judges included Mackenzi Borja, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Waste Management, Dr. Tracey Edou, the Superintendent of the Cascade School District (the only “Green Ribbon” school in the state!), Teresa Boushay, a board member at Sustainable NCW and Executive Administrator for Operations at Chelan PUD, and Peter K, host of the Morning Run on COHO 101.1, and Luke Dixon, Executive Director from Eastside Rebuild.
Dixon, (wearing a stylish belted outfit made from Marson’s Tyvek building wrap) was happy to participate in judging. WRI is a staple of the community,” he said. “This event is about saving waste from the landfill, and that’s what Eastside Rebuild is all about.” Last year, Eastside Rebuild diverted 80 tons of building materials from the landfill. They do this by conducting deconstruction on buildings slated for demo and can reuse or recycle 75% of a building’s materials.
Images by Dave Masuda: 2026 Trashion Show teams.
The teams brought a wide range of materials and fashion style: one middle school team highlighted electronic waste, (the “Electronic Nightmares” entry) with a skirt and earrings made of old DVDs, a top made of audio tape, and a headpiece made from a cassette player. Another put the focus on medical waste, (the “Medical Waist” entry), with a bold, couture-inspired look featuring a stunning ruffled waist, constructed from locally-sourced hospital waste such as IV bags, gloves, and absorbent pads. In the adult category, Natasha K. brought impressive tailoring expertise and deep knowledge of the harms of “fast fashion” with her entry, “Chained to Fast Fashion“ composed of repurposed clothing, tablecloths and muslin and 3,510 pop tabs collected by her friends and family over the past year.
Though there was tough competition, winners emerged: in the middle school category, “This Girl is on Fire”, a high-energy design serving "runway power" made from Hot Cheetos and Takis bags, bottle caps, and layered black and purple fabrics took the crown. In the high school category, “Sanaldo Rex” was king - a soccer-themed outfit featuring baggy garbage bag pants with bubble wrap pockets and T-Rex-style spikes. For the adult category, the winner was "Krampus" – A trash monster costume based on the legend of Krampus (complete with basket of naughty doll-children who presumably contaminated their recycling), built from leftover moving materials, office supplies, and packing cardboard. The judges didn’t have the only final say—the crowd voted for the People’s Choice with a total of 216 votes cast. The winner was “Snack Attack Fairy,” whose family design team created it from (what else?) used snack bags. The runner-up for People’s Choice was Tierracotta.
Image: Girl on Fire, Middle School Category
Image: Sanaldo Rex, High School Category
Image: Krampus, Adult Category
Image: Snack Attack Fairy, Family Category & People's Choice.
While waiting for judging, there were recycle challenges and races that engaged the crowd while reminding us what can be recycled and what goes to the landfill. Picnic baskets were unpacked and neighbors chatted with each other. As always, WRI brought together the community to connect it with the land. The Trashion Show once again furthered the mission of connecting people and the natural world. Hopefully, we can all be more mindful of dressing more sustainably, even if not dressed in snack bags and pop cans. Until next year!
A special thank you to the 2026 sponsors that support Trashion Show: Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort, Hotel Pension Anna, Sage Mountain Natural Foods, Obertal Inn, North Central Washington Audubon Society, Munchen Haus, Leavenworth / Pine Village KOA, Whistlepunk Ice Cream Co., Icicle Brewing Company, Colchuck's Leavenworth, Winton Manufacturing, Leavenworth Outdoor Center, Orion River Rafting, Waste Management, Eastside Rebuild, Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Leavenworth Reindeer Farm.
