What is Trash the Runway?  

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Our Why

Using fashion, design, and sustainability as a catalyst for creativity and ingenuity, Trash The Runway exists to change the lives of young people by unlocking resilience, confidence, and new ways of critical thinking. 

 

Our Program

Run by the Creative Lab at Common Threads in Boulder for more than 14 years, Trash The Runway is a design competition that challenges middle and high school students to create high fashion garments entirely out of found, non-recyclable or non-compostable materials. 

 

Participants have two months to complete their design, with the final garments showcased at a runway fashion show. While volunteers and staff provide mentorship and advice, students are challenged to source, design, and create a garment entirely on their own, using everything from discarded dog food bags, climbing rope, and trampoline material, to bubble wrap, tea bags, computer keyboards, wallpaper samples, race bibs, and more. The finished designs rival the beauty and creativity of the couture seen on the catwalks during New York or Paris Fashion Week, inspiring and delighting the broader community.

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In Partnership

We partner with Blue Sky Bridge, a Boulder County organization that fosters safe communities, healing, and justice to end child abuse. Together, our two organizations help build resilience and confidence in young people so they can reach their full potential in life.

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Donate

Donating to Trash the Runway supports the creativity and sustainability awareness of our students.  With your help, we can offer scholarships to students in need of financial assistance, expand our program to more students in different locales, and put on a great show for our community. Donate today or learn about becoming a Trash The Runway sponsor.