Trashion Fashion Exhibits Sustainable Couture

In 2018, islander Michael Greenberg approached Asifa Pasin-Welch and asked if she would be willing to take over the role as Host and Curator of the annual Trashion Fashion show.

Since then, Pasin-Welch, a member of ORS/The Exchange board and the Zero Waste Committee, has been heading the event – with The Exchange supporting the effort as the sponsor.

“I do it because I care about the environment and I am trying to show people how easy and fun it can be to make something cool from something once discarded,” says Pasin-Welch. “I also enjoy making costumes using non-traditional materials. It sparks a certain creativity in me that I feel is unique – it’s my own form of environmental activism.”

A crafty seamstress and thrifty person at heart, Pasin-Welch’s creative spaces in her home are filled with wardrobe scraps from theatrical shows, assorted PVC tubes, pieces of fine leather, sewing tools, and more.

The show is a grassroots effort with local community members confidently modeling quirky outfits with titles like “The Purple Rabbit”, “Dog Food-Bag Man”, “MC Golden Hottie”, and “White Goth Sounder Queen”, as they strut and pose to Madonna’s “Vogue” and other classic runway music played by Asifa’s husband, who is also a local DJ.

The Trashion Fashion show is a waste-conscious event that has no permanent staging or home. In the past, venues such as the Orcas Center, the Eastsound Village Green, and the Orcas Island Grange have set the stage for this far-out fashion event. Talented, local emcees like renowned singer and vocal coach Grace McCune, have also participated in the event.

The next time you look at your recycling or trash bins and see waste, we invite you to dig deeper and find fashion therein. We hope to see you at the 2026 Trashion Fashion show!

“It’s a small step to help people think differently about ‘fast fashion’ and the amount of waste that the industry itself creates every year,” says Pasin-Welch. “It shows that if you use your imagination and creativity it can be your own form of environmental activism, too.”

Pasin-Welch hopes to continue to bring this fun form of environmentally-friendly fashion to whatever stage will host it in the future. Many thanks to ORS/The Exchange for sponsoring the event throughout the years, and to all the volunteers!