A new brand of ‘trashy’ fashion

When Lindsey Newkirk looked out from the stage at The Wonder Ballroom on a Saturday night in December 2006, she was surprised at what she saw.

As Newkirk recalls, “the place was packed, and I started shaking.”

And with that she knew her creation had finally come alive.

Now in its third year, Newkirk’s brainchild Junk to Funk, a fashion show featuring designs created with recycled materials, is still running strong and is expected to be close to a sellout when it hits The Wonder Ballroom stage again tomorrow at 8 p.m.

“It’s just so Portland,” said Newkirk, who calls herself the show’s unofficial creator and producer. “It’s one of those events that Portland has tagged on to.”

Junk to Funk has all the makings of a typical fashion show–with designers, models and a runway–but the added twist is that all the outfits must be crafted out of materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill or not be reused.

But Newkirk said the definition of what may be used is still kind of loose.

“The point is not purchasing new,” Newkirk said. “It’s about finding items that you are saving from going into a landfill.”

Newkirk said nearly 60 artist submissions were made this year, which was whittled down to the 30 pieces that will be on display at tomorrow’s show.

And for the third consecutive year, Portland Mayor-elect Sam Adams will emcee the event, and this time his co-host will be Tara from 94.7 FM.

The co-hosts will be responsible for introducing the artists while their work is on the runway and adding commentary throughout the show. And Adams is apparently a good sport about the whole process.

“Once again he will be dressed up in a trash tuxedo,” Newkirk said of Adams. “Being such a great speaker, he rolls right into it.”

Five judges have been assembled–including representatives from Wieden and Kennedy and The ReBuilding Center–to evaluate the recycled outfits and pick a winner.

But it is not all about the fashion.

In addition to the runway fashion aspect of the show, Newkirk said Junk to Funk strives to inform the 600 or so in attendance about the need to recycle, reduce consumption and purchase apparel with sustainability in mind.

This year an added emphasis will be placed on educating attendees about what kinds of items can actually be placed in recycle bins.

Newkirk said the objective is to spread the word that contaminating recycle bins with items that do not belong can jeopardize all the bin’s contents, whether recyclable or not. And she also said there will be information about how to recycle items that cannot be placed in bins.

“This is an issue that will resonate well with people,” Newkirk said.

There are the co-hosts and sustainability-focused education, but the show would not be possible without the creative minds that spend hours upon hours conjuring up the beautiful but “trashy” concoctions.

Chelsea Erhart has designed pieces in each of the first two Junk to Funk shows, and will give it another crack this year.

A fashion designer with her own clothing line, called Erhart, the Portland transplant of six years considers the show a huge “relief” from the rigors of her daily job.

“I do it because I love having the chance to do something artistic and will never show up in a store,” said Erhart, who has had her own line for three years.

Another perk for Erhart is having the opportunity to interact with artists that are not steeped in the fashion scene but rather participate as a means to having a good time and getting their hands dirty with something artistic.

Last year Erhart used her connections to secure a bunch of expired latex gloves from a local piercing shop, and with that she said the “piece was born.”

Erhart fashioned the gloves to create a dress that she sums up with, “that dress was super rad.”

Taylor Stevenson is another artist that has participated in Junk to Funk over the past two years and will a few pieces in the show again this year.

A Spanish translator at Outside In, a Portland social service agency that serves low-income adults and homeless youth, Stevenson comes from a different background than Erhart. While Stevenson is not a professional designer, she has long had an interest in the functionality of art, and thoroughly enjoys the opportunities Junk to Funk gives her to expand her abilities as a fashion designer.

“I just love it because Junk to Funk pushes the boundaries of traditional fashion,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson added that she likes how the show provides a venue for less-experienced designers and artists to flex their creative muscles.

“It takes some of the underdogs in Portland and puts them in the spotlight,” Stevenson said.

When finding materials, Stevenson said she often considers what kinds of items those who are in poverty would have at their disposal before deciding what to implement into her pieces.

Both Erhart and Newkirk touched on the fact that tons of forethought go into creating the outfits, including spending an immense amount of time collecting items, like this year Erhart spent gathering scraps from the production of her clothing line.

However, Erhart does not mind, and maintains that it is all in good fun.

“It’s so easy,” Erhart said in comparison to designing professionally. “It’s like playing in a sandbox.”

JUNK TO FUNKSaturday, Nov. 15The Wonder Ballroom128 N.E. Russell St. Doors open: 7 p.m.Show starts: 8 p.m.$16 in advance, $20 at the door, $35 for preferred seating21+