Giving young people an opportunity to create fashion pieces with found materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill may not be something you've heard about, but if so, LISTEN UP! Trash the Runway is an innovative program that turns sustainability into an artistic challenge, encouraging students to design and construct unique fashion pieces using repurposed materials.
Over the course of six weeks of workshops, students draft, design, and bring their visions to life through a collaborative and problem-solving oriented process. "They think we're only about fashion and the environment," says Tanja Leonard, the Executive Director of Trash the Runway. "But it doesn’t stop there. We are using fashion and their creativity to unlock their resilience, confidence, and new ways of thinking. We see the growth in them."
Tanja, who also serves as a manager of Common Threads Creative Lab, the organization that founded and continues to heavily sponsor the event, plays a crucial role in guiding the students through this creative journey and gets to witness firsthand how Trash the Runway has transformed participants over the years.
She recalls seeing sixth graders initially focused on the environmental impact of their work begin to engage deeply with the engineering and problem-solving aspects of their designs. “The challenge of working with unconventional materials forces them to adapt,” she says, whether it’s rethinking a structure that doesn’t hold up as expected or managing limited resources effectively. Through these obstacles, students develop critical solution-oriented skills, learn to pivot when things don’t go as planned, and collaborate with others to achieve their creative vision. The skills that they develop in the process all build a foundation that will serve them well in future endeavors.
Tanja knows the power of this experience firsthand, having watched her own child participate in Trash the Runway and later apply these skills in life. The event fosters a strong community, with returning students often coming back to support new participants, reconnect with peers, and celebrate the program that helped shape their creative and critical thinking abilities.
This year’s show was filled with bright and innovative ideas. From bra pads transformed into dress trains to plastic lids repurposed into stylish skirts, the students demonstrated incredible ingenuity in working with a diverse range of materials. The results were not only stunning but also a testament to the program’s mission of blending sustainability with creativity.
Beyond just one event, Trash the Runway serves as a critical outlet for young people to challenge themselves and express their creativity—an opportunity that not every middle or high schooler has access to in their daily lives. Tanja and her team hope to expand the reach of Trash the Runway, allowing more local communities to host their own events and give students across a larger area the chance to participate in this transformative experience.
By turning discarded materials into high-fashion statements, Trash the Runway isn’t just about clothing—it’s about empowerment, problem-solving, and creating a space where young minds can flourish. As the program continues to grow, its impact on the next generation of designers, engineers, and creative thinkers is only just beginning.
We are using fashion and their creativity to unlock their resilience, confidence, and new ways of thinking.