March 29, 2024

From rubbish to the runway

One man’s garbage is another’s gold, and if students at SFU Surrey have their way, the next big fashion trend might just be the Yaletown blouse or the Eastside umbrella.

Since 2008, the annual Banner Bags event has been using creative means to reuse so-called garbage by turning old street banners into reusable bags.

Now SFU students are taking it a step beyond, bringing in local secondary students to help turn the discarded nylon banners into something even more inventive — high fashion.

Garments created for the upcoming Beyond the Bag event include a jacket, a trench coat, a blouse and an umbrella.

“They’ve been incredibly creative,” said the event’s external co-ordinator Xinyan Chen, an SFU student.

“It’s turning into more of a science fair than a fashion show.”

On March 8, 21 students from seven high schools will show off their designs at the SFU Surrey mezzanine. The three winning designers will receive a post-secondary scholarship.

Since its creation, the Banner Bags project has kept more than 600 kilograms of nylon out of landfills.
“We’ll definitely be doing this again in the future,” Chen said.

For more info visit bannerbags.ca.

Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver

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