Friday, June 8, 2007

Trashion is...

What is this thing called Trashion?
It's pretty broad, actually. It is a group of crafters who take old, discarded, used, or found objects and make them into something new. It's repurposing, recycling, upcycling, reconstructing, reusing, rethinking.
It is everything from enthral, http://enthral.etsy.com, who makes jewelry out of unique materials, to groovyvinyl - http://groovyvinyl.com, who molds vinyl records and LPs into unique pendants and jewelry.
It's also folks like disCARDs (http://disCARDS.etsy.com) and reneedesigns (http://reneedesigns.etsy.com) who take junk mail and old papers and transform them into new paper products.
Drew at http://fairytalefibers.etsy.com makes beautiful pieces out of selvedge. And Mallory at http://dismantled.etsy.com takes all sorts of unusual fabrics and transforms them into new dresses, skirts and barrettes such as this: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6123834
For my shop, http://sweetyprize.etsy.com, I have a couple different ways of expressing my trashion. One is through crocheting with used materials, such as cassette tape. I also cut things into long, yarn like strips, and then crochet with them, such as this scarf: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5180316
Another way I create with trashion is by taking odd items and making jewelry out of them, such as the classic button bracelet. I also find things that have holes or drill holes into things to use them as beads.
Finally, I take second things and crochet with them, such as a scarf I made with old flower appliques. Sometimes the yarn is second hand, or even unraveled from an old sweater.

Search trashion on etsy.com as a tag or title and you can see some of the great variety involved with this style of art and craft.

Trashion is gaining speed. The street team has new members and has a trunk show slated for July 27, 6 -8 p.m. at EtsyLabs in Brooklyn. Please come, you'll have a great time and get to see what this is all about. For directions to EtsyLabs please click: http://www.etsy.com/labs/visit.html

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