Tucson designers turn waste into fashion at art show
Tattoo artist Jenny Burghard’s first Tucson fashion show brought local designers together to showcase upcycled clothing and challenge overconsumption through sustainable art.
A runway built from reclaimed textiles, chainmail, quilts and crochet became a statement against overconsumption as Tucson tattoo artist and designer Jenny Burghard brought her first fashion show to downtown.
The June 27 Creative Revolution fashion show united local artists who use upcycled materials to argue that creativity can be a form of environmental and social resistance.
Burghard’s show featured her own work alongside collections from Trash Theory, Slug Slime, Tunhollow Tattoo, Timbertote, Maille by Stefanie and Beautiful Little Things.
Burghard is traveling across the country on a tattoo road trip and saw an opportunity to bring together like-minded designers whose work reflects a commitment to environmental sustainability.
Burghard, a Chicago native, worked as an English teacher in Madagascar, Costa Rica and Alaska before moving to Tucson and becoming a tattoo artist.
Those experiences shaped the philosophy that now guides both her tattooing and her fashion design.
“I think there’s a very feminine side of connection to nature,” she said. “In order to reconnect and revive ourselves as a culture, we need to reconnect to nature.”
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Burghard opened the show as a spotlight illuminated the first model. A pole at the center of the runway served as the stage for interludes by dancer Salem, while alternative rock and punk music filled the space. Models worked the runway with theatrical confidence, interacting with the audience through dramatic poses and playful gestures that drew cheers from the crowd.
After Charlee of Trash Theory’s collection showcased different ways to transform old T-shirts, she demonstrated for the audience how to create a trendy new look without buying something new.
In about two minutes, she transformed a baggy, plain shirt into a stylish piece by cutting a slit down the front and an arch in the back, then tying the newly created openings into an open-backed top for a night out.
“My favorite thing is seeing the garments on a human body,” she said after the show. “Wearing it, enjoying it, smiling in it. That’s what gives me joy.”
Attendees saw designs ranging from shimmering chainmail and quilts-turned-jackets to tattooed purses, crocheted plastic skirts and Slug Slime by Madeline Allenegui of Outwest Tattoo, which debuted its first fashion collection at the show.
“My goal with the brand is to remind people to slow down, to remind people of the abundance of resources that we have,” Allengui said. “We’re constantly bombarded by information around world events, and it can be extremely devastating to a lot of us in a way that leaves us frozen. I think being able to wear something that feels comfortable and can get a message out there that you believe in is an easy way to keep moving that along.”
She quoted activist and author Pat Mitchell, sharing legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez's quote, "action is the antidote to despair."
Angeliki Salonikios, who has worked as a biologist for nearly 20 years, served as a guest speaker, telling attendees about her time reintroducing a rare species of falcon and learning to love the hidden biological diversity of the desert.
Salonikios said she was “introduced to the extreme disparity of how people choose to live harmoniously with the natural world.”
Salonikios admitted to getting tired of fighting to “keep the peace between human advancement and preserving the natural world,” ending her speech by calling on the audience to fight for the environment by calling local representatives, showing up to town meetings opposing data centers or simply bringing reusable grocery bags to the store.
To end the show, models walked the runway a final time before each designer shared details about their collections, reminding attendees of the evening’s theme of community over consumption and stressing the importance of rights for the environment, women and LGBTQ+ community members.
Designers encouraged attendees to reuse, recycle and renew while being inspired to create.
Lily Cottam is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and intern at Tucson Spotlight.
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