The scenic Pacific Northwest attracts tourists from all over the globe with its snowy mountains, lush green forests and dramatic waterways. Yet with all of this natural beauty, designer Robin Worley can't stop looking at the trash.
"I can't go anywhere and look at anything without noticing it," she said. "I can't help seeing the possibility."
A Port Townsend resident, Worley is better known by her fans and peers as "Rayona Visqueen," the "queen" and one of the founding members of Haute Trash: An Artist's Collaborative.
From trash to high fashion
As the story goes, original founder Susan Lamela got the idea while mending a Calvin Klein suit, griping in frustration, "We could do better with trash!"
From there, the proposal of bringing trash to high fashion only grew, stemming from California up the West Coast to Seattle.
Recently, Haute Trash has gained nonprofit status, allowing collaborators to spread their message of reduce, reuse and recycle through fashion entertainment.
Designers construct wearable outfits from items traditionally thought of as "trash" for display on runways at numerous shows across the country. Most recently, Haute Trash had a show at the Fremont Mardi Gras event on Feb. 17.
While Worley earned her start as a model for Haute Trash in "tiny" shows of five to six pieces, she now works as a designer and contact for the Seattle branch. The Fremont event displayed about 16 pieces, and she has plans for shows with twice that number.
"It's just starting to explode," Worley said. "It shows that it's fun to save your planet, and we can show that in an entertaining way."
A DIFFERENT LOOK TO TRASH
While models strut down runways in outfits such as dresses made up of twisty ties, a commentator gives environmental statistics and recycling facts.
"Information sinks in much better with laughs and good humor," Worley explained. "You'll never look at trash the same way."
Worley found her inspiration for the Fremont piece while hiking in the mountains. "I found an abandoned, two-man raft," she said. "It wasn't biodegradable, so we brought it with us."
Worley turned the plastic river raft into a "couture" strapless gown, spending two days chopping things down and sewing them together. The dress was one of her most interesting experiences and fun pieces, she said.
"I do it because I can say something with this art form," she said. "It's the most fulfilling because I can send a message: We need to be more conscious about our environment."
Originally from a small town, Worley enjoys the uniqueness of Seattle. "This city has taught me to be green in an urban environment," she said. "It's complex...but Seattle has found an urban way for dealing with waste."
FROM TRASH TO RECYCLING
For Haute Trash designer Mary Welch, Seattle had other attractions. Making the trek from California to visit friends, Welch planned to stay for a few months. Twelve years later, she has found Seattle to be "a gentle city" where she can "live under the radar."
She currently resides at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford, an historic Seattle landmark since 1975 that now houses six live-in artists.
"Good Shepherd's just beautiful, extraordinary," Welch said. "It's only Seattle's fashion that's killing me - it's a city full of polar fleece! I keep imagining that people in Seattle will one day want to dress up."
For Welch, who makes her own clothing, fashion is a way of "adding to the world, making it more original and beautiful."
When making pieces for Haute Trash, she turns to couture, the "big, worked-over stuff," for her inspiration. "My favorite part is to pull something out of the Dumpster, make an amazing silhouette and outfit," she said. "Then I like to throw them back in the Dumpster after the show, see these beautiful things back where they belong: recycled."
FASHION-FORWARD
Designer and Haute Trash model Hisako Tarutani pulled her last piece out of the Dumpster behind her own restaurant, Miyabi, on Southcenter Parkway in Tukwila.
"When I started my restaurant, I found we had so much trash, so much over-packaging," she explained. "So I had this idea of making a Japanese-style kimono dress out of our own trash."
Originally from Osaka, Japan, Tarutani put her own style in the Fremont show. Using the eel and saki packaging from her restaurant, Tarutani fashioned a traditional kimono and umbrella.
"I always notice used stuff, from thrift stores, and I always see trash," she said. "I look at it like decoration."
Although she started off modeling for Haute Trash, Tarutani became close friends with Worley and dedicated herself to the cause of recycling. Last summer, she created her first piece.
Right now, Tarutani likes to use her own trash from the excess waste of restaurant packaging, turning her fashion pieces into Miyabi wall decorations. When customers ask about the décor, she likes to tell them she's the designer and gives them information about recycling.
"There's just so much trash, it's good to do something about recycling," Tarutani said. "It would be cool to do Haute Trash in Japan; they are such a fashionable country, and I really think we could spread [it] to other countries."
"It's up to every person to be responsible for their environment," Worley said. "We're just using Haute Trash and fashion to parody our wasteful culture. Hopefully, we'll spread the message in an entertaining way."
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