Rubbish and forgotten items became runway fashion made by grade 6 and 7 pupils, who geared their creativity into ‘upcycle’ mode this term!
Elgin, Western Cape (02 July 2026) – Applewood Preparatory’s art department wrapped up the school term with a ‘trashion’ show that earned grade 6 and 7 learners gold stars in fashion design and environmentalism!
For their final term project, learners turned old clothes, discarded packaging and everyday waste into sea-inspired Atlantic fashion! They then put on a ‘trashion show’ to show off their final looks.
“Applewood Preparatory Art Department and the Grades 6 & 7 pupils spent this term creating sea-themed fashion outfits made with trash, upcycled clothes and repurposed items.” shares the school.
The project encouraged learners to think differently about the waste we create every day and where it ends up. Rubbish often finds its way into rivers and oceans, harming marine life and breaking down into microplastics that harm the environment and its creatures. By giving discarded items a new purpose, they learned that small changes in the way we think about – and use – waste can really make a difference.
Instead of seeing trash as something to throw away, they challenged themselves to see what it could become.
“Students worked through the whole design process, from discussing the meaning of the project, to designing their mood boards, and then putting together the outfits, which required some new skills and a lot of creativity and flexibility.”
The learners-turned-fashion designers modelled their marvellous creations and dazzled on the runway.
“The results were amazing…some humorous, some ‘trash rich’, some super cool, and some downright gorgeous!”
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“The culmination was an exciting fashion show, where the students paraded their fabulous outfits with supercool music on an amazing stage decorated with recycled items including beautiful trash jellyfish, a huge fish mural, a backdrop painted by the art teacher on an old duvet cover, and a spectacular giant octopus…” the school shared. “The whole evening was a showcase of the students’ talent and creative expression, along with a great deal of enthusiasm and support from the whole audience!”
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