From trash cans to the runway, it is recycling at its finest. On Sunday, March 23, the Aston Preston Hall of residence at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, hosted its annual fashion gala night with a difference.

Like any other fashion show, it had style, great attention to detail and a desire to be different. However, what sets this show apart from the rest is that all the garments are made from garbage — yes trash.

Themed ‘An Exotic Night In Paris’, the students who live on the hall created some stunning and highly creative pieces from materials such as ackee seeds, cardboard, plastic bags, bottles, bottle caps, newspaper, and discarded cloth — just to name a few.

So what inspired these young people to takes on such a venture? The Environment Committee Chairperson, Lanvell Blake, told teenAGE that the aim of the competition is to get students to be environmentally friendly and utilise their creativity.

The event was hosted by Preston Hall alumni and media personality Debbie Bissoon and UWI student Joel Nomdarkham. The judges tasked with selecting the top three garments were Andre Rowe, the CEO of Andre Rowe Designs and the 2013 Avant Garde designer of the year, Fashion designer FranChester Christie, Angelique Virtue Preston Hall alumni and former Miss UWI, and Krystal Tomlinson, the reigning Miss Jamaica Festival Queen.

Kudos to Preston Hall for their innovative project and successful executions thus far. We look forward to next year’s staging of the event.