Create & Celebrate

FAQs

• How much is a ticket?

  Tickets are free if you register by July 21st. There is a suggested donation of $50, but we never turn anyone away for lack of funds, as long as they register in advance. 

  If you register before the 21st and we have already filled all 50 spots, you will be placed on a waitlist. You will receive an email from Humanitix if space opens up. (Make sure you put Humanitix in your email contact list, so it doesn’t go into spam.) In the event you’re offered a spot after the 21st, we will have food and materials for you.

  If we still have tickets on the 25th, you can purchase them at the door for $50. But no guarantees we’ll have space. Currently, half the spots are filled.

• Can I bring my family, friends, neighbors, pets, even if they’re not artsy?

  1. Humans ages 6-adult are welcome to Create & Celebrate with us! (Sorry, you need to leave your pets at home.)

  2. People under age 18 must be with a participating adult.

  3. No artsiness required. Just a willingness to experiment with materials and have fun with a great community.

• I like to be spontaneous. Why are you asking me to register in advance?

  To maintain zero-waste at our events, we plan the menu with caterers carefully in advance and provide only for the number of people that register.

  To optimize our attendees’ experience, we are capping attendance at 50 people. (Yes, children count in that number, so if you want to bring your child, please get a separate ticket for them.)

  
  

• What does my ticket include?

  1. Space in the workshop 

  2. Dinner and non-alcoholic drinks*

  3. Free trips to the photo booth

  4. Dance party with DJ Dooley-O

  * Beer, wine, and our signature cocktail-the Via Trashionista-will be available for $10 each. If you make a suggested donation of $50 when you register, you will get a free Via Trashionista cocktail or mocktail, plus the good feeling of supporting the local artists, designers, and small businesses that help bring this event to life.

• What will we do?

  1. Make Trashion! In our supportive, joyful community workshop, we’ll learn new skills and practice existing skills to upcycle food wrappers, found objects, and upcycled textiles into trashion garments and accessories. (optional) Bring your new trashion to the screen printing station to add Trash to Fashion’s logo.

  2. Wear it & Show it off! Whether silly or glam, we’ll don our creations, show them off in the free photo booth, and…

  3. Dance the night away at our celebration ball!

  4. Eat delicious food prepared for us by Claire’s Corner Copia and Via Lactea 

  5. Enjoy great company. Friendships were born at our event in October.

  6. Recycle textiles with help from New Haven Solid Waste & Recycling Authority. Last year, we recycled 200 pounds of textiles. This year, our goal is to collect 400+ pounds of textiles. (We worked with Helpsy last year, and this blog post explains what textiles we can accept and how you need to prepare and package them for recycling.) Please use unscented large plastic garbage bags or contractor bags. (*Note, this is the only plastic we allow at our event, and it is only because the textile recycler requires textiles to arrive in this packaging to prevent mildew forming.)

  7. Give tired textiles new life and turn them into Create & Celebrate souvenirs with screen printing by Pistachio Print Co. 

  8. Keep crafting all night! We’ll keep the making area open until the event ends, so we can return to enhance our garments or make additional pieces.

• What is Trashion? I have no idea how to make clothes??? Help!

  1. Trashion is trash fashion. We make trash fashion with (properly cleaned & sterilized) food wrappers, junk, found objects, and/or upcycled textiles.

  2. There is no correct way to make trashion. How or what you want to create is up to you. We provide the materials and guidance to help you bring your vision to life! Anyone can be a Trashionista!

  3. We provide instruction & guidance. We’re thrilled to learn from and create with Soule Golden (film & theater industry costume designer and college professor in costume design), fashion designer Tea Montgomery, creative reuse specialist and EcoWorks cofounder Lisa Spetrini, and junior designers Leo Smolinski and Molly McGurk. They will join me (Trashion Artist and Trash To Fashion founder Rebekah Fraser) in offering basic instruction and personal guidance, so you can create the Trashion garment you envision.

  4. No sewing skills are necessary! Whew!

     1. We provide pins, fabric tape, scissors, and glue and of course… the trash! Artists and volunteers will be there to guide you

     2. Sewing machines will not be available at this event. However, we can help you construct your garment in a way that you can sew it together at home or wherever you have access to a sewing machine.

• Do I need to bring my own trash or upcycled fabric?

  1. Nope! Thanks to our community partner, EcoWorks, and our lead sponsor, Goodwill of Southern New England, we will provide fabric as well as found objects that have been collected and sterilized from past cleanup events.

  2. You are welcome to bring any fabric, found objects or upcycled materials for your own garment or community share. Please make sure any materials you bring have been cleaned and sterilized, are dry, and any sharp edges have been removed or dulled. 

     1. Dish soap and water removes grime from food wrappers and found objects. Most items can be sterilized by soaking in a bath of 71%-90% rubbing alcohol for 90 seconds or longer. (According to my research, but you can double check to be sure. Also, if you want to work with wood, it has a different sterilization process.)

     2. We cannot accept fabric with mildew, perfume (including febreeze or fabric softener), or blood stains.

• If I know how to make trash fashion... Should I still come to the workshop?

  Sure! We welcome all skill levels at our community workshop! Join new friends and old, and soak up the creative vibes. Who knows? You may find yourself helping another person with their garment.

• What if I need more than two hours to make my trashion? Should I still come to the workshop?

  The maker space will be open all night but instruction and assistance will only occur from 4 until 6pm.

  
  

• What should I wear?

  We are Trashionistas, not the fashion police. Wear what you want. If you have a trash fashion outfit that you want to wear, we would love to see it!

  
  

• What kind of music will you play at the event? What are the vibes?

  Music will be low key during the workshop. DJ Dooley-O will switch the vibes to dance party music at 6pm.

  
  

• How can I help ensure this event runs smoothly?

  Thanks for asking! We welcome your help! Please fill out our volunteer intake form to share your interest.

  
  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjIkpLuLL5GgEmf2jxKQnuonDFcEIcKCj-LURalKzm_fHFyw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=110272651226381341234

  Donations are always appreciated and will go toward further programing and events! Learn more about donating to Trash to Fashion here.

  We cannot wait to see you !

• What do I do with the trashion I made after the event?

  1. We hope you’ll enjoy wearing it for years to come. Also…. 

  2. You can submit it for display at our Community Exhibit at New Haven City Hall, which will be up from September 19th until October 24th. We’ll invite everyone who made a trashion garment or accessory at one of our workshops to submit their work. As long as there’s space for it, and we have a way to display it, we’ll show it. Stay tuned after Create & Celebrate for details about how to submit.