NON-PROFIT HAPPENINGS February 2011

The Best in Recycled Fashion “Takes-Off” from the Runway in Moab

Observe everyday items as they are transformed into unidentified fashion outfits (UFO’S). Each year artists create outrageous theme based-fashion lines out of materials found at WabiSabi’s thrift stores and other recycled materials. The theme for the 2011 show is “Intergalactic”.

This will mark the ninth embodiment of Moab’s annual Fashion Show. The event has grown in scope and popularity each year, and the locals-favorite show has in the past sold out well in advance. This year’s event is Saturday, February 26, at the Old Spanish Trail Arena, south of Moab, UT. General admission begins at 7:30 p.m. with the launch of engineered high fashion at 8:00.

This year’s “Intergalactic,” Fashion Show will feature the inhabitants of faraway planets. The audience will blast off to the remote reaches of the cosmos where they will encounter distant galaxies and many intriguing creatures. Ten Moab designers – using materials from WabiSabi’s thrift stores – will showcase their extraterrestrial-inspired, domestic commodities as models journey down the runway.

In the past, these intricately detailed costumes have sold for as much as $700 in the post-show auction. Outfits from previous years have included gladiators costumed in a kaleidoscope armor made from aluminum cans, dresses glittering with patterns made from smashed mirrors, and a “fur coat” made entirely from kids’ stuffed animals.

“Creative designers can take a theme like Intergalactic, add their own twist, and end up with something like panties made from the pop tops of aluminum cans or warrior gods in leather clad from pieces of purses.” states Laurie Collins, the event’s Creative Director.

In addition to haute couture, the evening will include music, dancing, food, beverages, a live costume auction, some of Moab’s finest – and wildest – entertainers, and much more. Aerial Arts of Utah will orbit the stage suspended by long silks and soaring on a trapeze.

“Productions for this year’s show began before the previous show was even over,” says Jeff Cohen, Executive Director of WabiSabi. “We are always thinking of how we can top the previous year.”

WabiSabi’s fashion show has seen an exponential increase in popularity over the years, and the 2011 show promises to be the biggest yet, eclipsing last year’s record attendance of 600. In 2009, Salt Lake City Weekly named the event Utah’s “Best Recycled Fashion Show,” saying, “The event promises a chance to savor the most cutting edge fashions of the recycled aesthetic along with one hell of a party.”

This year, Frankie D’s will be hosting the after party. A free shuttle will be departing every twenty minutes between 6pm and 8pm to the Spanish Trail Arena. At the end of the show shuttles will return you to your vehicle. The after party at Frankie D’s will include music and dancing.

Tickets are $15 general admission and $25 for reserved seating. Tables seating eight – alongside the runway – are available for $600. There will be a VIP pre-show, replete with appetizers and wine, at 6:30 p.m. for those sitting at the tables. Tickets go on sale January 5th at the WabiSabi Thriftique and online at www.wabisabimoab.org/fashionshow. The price of admission includes a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind fashions straight off the runway.

As well as being astronomically entertaining, the fashion show also supports the Moab community. Proceeds from the event will be distributed among WabiSabi’s 12 nonprofit partners, including: BEACON After School Program, Moab Teen Center, Community Rebuilds, Humane Society, KZMU Community Radio, Moab Free Health Clinic, Moab Valley Multicultural Center, Native American Club, Recycling Center, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Seekhaven and Youth Garden Project.

For more information on the event, call WabiSabi at 435-259-9114 or visit the WabiSabi Thriftique at the corner of 400 East and Locust Lane in Moab.

This is a 21-and-over only event, and a valid ID is necessary for admission.

WabiSabi is an integral part of the Moab community, supporting its eclectic sense of identity and the diversity of residents that comprise it. To learn more, visit www.wabisabimoab.org.