One man’s trash is another’s fashion: Swanson’s Fabrics held its first ever Trash Rich Fashion Show on Sunday night

In the world of fast fashion, the life cycle of a fabric is pretty grim: cut, quickly sewn together into a garment and mass produced, then worn and enjoyed for a season or two before being retired to the back of the closet or tossed into a landfill. But one local fabric shop is looking to change that, or at least get people to slow down and enjoy a moment with their fabric every now and then. 

Swanson’s Fabrics held its first ever Trash Rich Fashion Show on Sunday night, encouraging local sewists to pick up fabric they have been holding onto and finally use it, whether it be scraps from an old project or a couple yards of something that they have been waiting to find the “perfect” project for. 

 “We’re a no-kill shelter for grandma’s old quilts and supplies; but if this was an animal shelter, tonight is like a parade of the puppies that found good homes,” said shop owner Kathryn Greenwood Swanson. 

Swanson said that crafters and textile lovers have a tendency to hoard their fabrics, like a dragon with a golden treasure, but Sunday evening was about taking that treasure out of its cave and putting it on display for all too see. 

Over the course of the weekend the store hosted Fabric, Fashion and Fiber: a Creative Reuse Festival. Unlike a typical craft fair that sells finished pieces from artisans and crafters, this festival was dedicated to the crafters themselves. It included workshops, supply sales and more. The weekend’s festivities ended with the fashion show.

The show was hosted by Monte Belmonte, and featured designs from community members, as well as a collection from fashion designer Richie Richardson. The show was set to happen rain or shine, and while it did rain, the models shined. 

The show had no selection criteria, Swanson said. Anyone who made anything and was either willing to wear it or could convince a friend to wear it on their behalf was welcome on the runway. 

Designs ranged from ready-to-wear shirts, dresses and skirts, to upscale business looks with trousers and jackets made with quirky patterned fabrics. The show even included a few more avant-garde pieces, such as the work of Daniel Ziarnik-Case. 

For the show, Ziarnik-Case created an elaborate outfit, loosely inspired by a matador’s costume. It included bright red and gold fabrics, sequins and sparkles, and was complete with a grand feathered cap an skull mask. 

Other pieces included simple and classic black gowns and formal-wear inspired by film icon Aubrey Hepburn, silk pants made by a Swanson’s employee Izzy Miller which were made at the shop’s workshop with fabric found atop a garbage pile, and hand sewn dresses from Turners Falls artist Yoshi Kogo.

Kogo’s designs available on her website typically focus on incorporating nature, history and culture into a garment with a timeless appeal, but for the Trash Rich Fashion Show she made something just for herself: a simple gray dress, complete with usable pockets. 

Each piece was different, but they all had one thing in common: all the fabric that was used was either found in the trash or the bottom of the storage bin.

“They’re not garbage,” Swanson said of the fabrics hiding in storage bins, basements and closets waiting to be used. “They belong in the careful loving hands of people who know what they are … Our loyalty is to the fabric. I cannot find the right fabric for every designer but I can find the right sewer for every piece of fabric.”

At the end of the show, Swanson returned to the stage to encourage attendees to sign up for memberships for access to workshops and other community events hosted by the shop. 

For $25 a month, members gain access to open studio space, workshops teaching different sewing techniques, first access to new fabrics as they are sorted and put out on the floor, and more.

The shop has a number of workshops and events scheduled regularly, including Tuesday night mend with friends, horror and handiwork craft and movie nights on Sundays, a quilt club, and more.

Other upcoming specially scheduled events include a members-only throw pillow making party on Oct. 28 and a costume support day for those needing assistance or motivation finishing their Halloween Costumes on Oct. 30. 

The full fashion show was recorded and will be posted to the Montague Community Television website.