This annual event is not only a celebration of creativity but also a powerful ecological message: nothing is thrown away, nothing is wasted.

Every year, Frasso Sabino welcomes us with a setting carefully decorated with reused scrap materials by the Pro Loco Frasso, helped by friends and volunteers. This year, the wind-swept fabric scraps, a textile monument reminiscent of the “Venus of the Rags,” mannequin chandeliers, and wardrobes serving as doors strongly emphasize the theme of sustainable fashion.

In the picturesque setting of the medieval village, the audience admired unique creations that demonstrate how what we consider waste can be transformed into runway fashion.

The initiative kicked off with an upcycling and creative reuse workshop we organized together with artisan and seamstress Irina Mariana Andronic. Participants witnessed the transformation of forgotten garments into runway outfits, all in the name of sustainability.

Following this, the talk “Upcycling, Reuse, and Quality” enlivened one of Frasso Sabino’s squares, decorated with recycled materials for the occasion. Among the guests, Erasmo Fiorentino, official stylist of Miss Universe, Sara Piccinini Leopardi of Resrcle, and Silvia Filippi of Accademia di Ecologia ed Arte Riarteco APS, discussed with us the importance of a sustainable approach in the fashion world.

After an outdoor dinner celebrating local cuisine, the fashion show came to life, hosted by the veteran presenter Viviana Rapisarda, showcasing extraordinary creations to the public. This year, we were on the jury again, tasked with the difficult job of evaluating increasingly elaborate and innovative outfits.

The first prize went to “Allegria” by Valeria Zingaretti, a dress made from fabric samples collected since 2016. The second place was awarded to “CD…spiace” by Alessandra De Angelis, Simonetta Ruggeri, and Nadia Pellacci Puglielli, created from old CDs, curing sacks for salami, and tights. The third prize was given to “Lorelei” by Alejandra Deaza Silva, crafted from a children’s inflatable pool.

Other standout creations included the dress by Graziella Cestari and Eugenia Benedetti, made from grandchildren’s toys, and the one by Francesca Niata, created from an umbrella. Rossella Calbi and Antonella Ragno impressed with a dress made of cutlery, placemats, tea wrappers, and plastic bags, while Donata Claps presented “R..esistere,” symbolizing water, life, and resilience. Silena D’Angeli from the Angelita Anti-Violence Center in Rieti proposed a dress made of book pages and newspaper, conveying a message of women’s rebirth. Maria Grazia La Terza surprised with a dress made from Easter egg wrappers, disposable tablecloths, and dental placemats, showing how unusual materials can become fashion. Finally, Tiziano Cioccolini presented “Black Swan,” a sensual dress created from X-ray plates from the 1980s.

We decided to gift two strategic consultancy sessions to the artists chosen by the public vote to guide them in realizing their projects. The prize was won by the dress “CD…spiace,” which captured the audience’s hearts with its sparkling combination of old CDs.

Frasso Sabino, with its cobbled streets and timeless atmosphere, proved to be the perfect stage for this event. The village, known for its beauty and the hospitality of its inhabitants, successfully highlighted the initiative, attracting visitors and fashion enthusiasts. Each year, we participate with enthusiasm in this initiative, which not only raises awareness about reuse, recycling, and upcycling of various materials but also enhances the charm of Frasso Sabino. An event that demonstrates how fashion can be creative and respectful of the environment.

Photos: cover picture, Giorgia Arosio @arsgiox ; Dress ECOde

This year, to celebrate ten years of the event, a novelty. Four thematic lounges dedicated to aspects of sustainability, attended by experts and professionals on the subject: the yellow lounge on energy, the green lounge on the circular economy, the blue lounge on tourism and the red lounge, in which I took part, on sustainable fashion.

 Thanks to Simona Maresca and Serena Benedetti for the invitation and the work they do every year to make the event more and more interesting and engaging.

1 Ajutami by Alessandra De Angelis and Simonetta Ruggieri

Disused jute bags, cardboard scraps and pasta cups consumed during the making of the dress, fresh flowers created with egg cartons passed from generation to generation.

2 Vestito di carta – Rinascita del riciclo by Nina Syc

Vecchi giornali, volantini promozionali, carta crespa, pizzo di carta bianca, fogli piegati, tubi dei giornali arrotolati, giornali, la carta e pezzi di stoffa ‘second hand’, scatola del tè.

3 Vestito Filosofico by Valeria Zingaretti

The idea stems from the desire to recycle the “Philosophical Calendar”, a dress of aphorisms and philosophical thoughts created from the hundreds (about 800) of calendar pages of past years, glued together with water and vinyl glue, and placed on a support of white TNT.

4 Note di gioventù by Nadia Assogna

5 Restitutio correntis by Elena Grippo and Nikola Koruga

6 Buona la prima by Vive e cattive show

7 Stella maris by Sara Russo

8 Tienimi per mano by Compagnia bella 

9 WABI SABI by Silena D’Angeli (Centro Antiviolenza Angelita)

10 Spicchi di LUNA by Eugenia Benedetti and Graziella Cestari

11 Tempo by Donata Claps and Vita Masi

The clothes awarded by the jury

 

 

The ideas and creativity of all the artists have impressed, the messages transmitted through the clothes are more current and heartfelt than ever, and we hope they will continue to spread them by bringing more and more people together thanks to the beauty and lightness of the clothes. Well done! The appointment with designers and creatives is for next year.

You can watch the video of the fashion show here:

Photos: cover by Utopia Aps; where not indicated, photos have been made by Dress ECOde©

With the upcycling of the most diverse materials, the ecological dresses walk the catwalk in Frasso Sabino (province of Rieti). An unmissable appointment. Every year the creativity of recycling designers shows how it is possible to look at what we would otherwise throw away as waste with different eyes.

The clothes parade through the streets of the small village under a clear sky, among the tables arranged for the occasion. In the jury, we observe them one by one to evaluate the complexity of the realization, the recycling of materials, the originality, the creative commitment. In the meantime, a special dinner cooked in a pot and without meat is served.

Thanks to Serena, Simona, the artists, the Frasso Sabino pro loco for their commitment to creating an important initiative to raise awareness on issues that are important to us, such as those of waste and more sustainable fashion.

13 are the dresses competing this year. We describe them one by one: they will amaze you for the often unusual materials for the creation of a runway dress!

Which would you have chosen? What do you think is the most ecological?

First place: Patria (Donata Claps)

It is a reproduction of the Ukrainian national costume created by the artist as an anti-war cry. Would you ever guess what it was made of? Patria is a dress that stands out as such, has no trace of waste, makes you forget about recycling and brings back to fashion.

Made with: disposable surgical masks, hospital gauze, plastic plates and bottles, garbage bags, plastic hay bale twine, umbrella cover, ears of corn.

Second place: Flapping of wings (Joy Fumi Akinseye, Sundus Saeed, Valentina Ferrari from Sartoria Sociale KORE)

Created by three designers and pattern makers from three different countries (Nigeria, Pakistan and Italy), the dress wants to convey at the same time the lightness of a butterfly’s flight and the threat of its extinction, with the hope that nature will regenerate itself.

Made with: garbage bags, kitchen filters, bubble wrap, plastic construction site net, clear plastic, dusting duvet, Coca-Cola bottles, electric cables.

Third Place: Opposites Attract (Vive e cattive Show)

Quattro colleghe hanno voluto riutilizzare i rifiuti prodotti durante il lavoro per creare un abito che richiamasse proprio la loro attività. “Il positivo e il negativo, il pieno e il vuoto che si completano alla perfezione, bianco e nero che rappresenta lo yin e lo yang, le forze opposte da cui tutto si origina”, così descrivono il vestito.

Realizzato con: film in resina di colore nero, scarto di stampa termica, impianto in pellicola litografica, polietilene espanso residuato da operazioni di imballaggio e confezionamento, carte di protezione lastre per stampa litografica, cartoncino di scarto derivato dalla fustellatura di scatole.

Four colleagues wanted to reuse the waste produced during work to create a dress that recalled their professional activity. “The positive and the negative, the fullness and the emptiness that complement each other perfectly, black and white representing yin and yang, the opposing forces from which everything originates”, so describe the dress.

Made with: black resin film, thermal printing waste, lithographic film plant, expanded polyethylene residual from packing and packaging operations, protection papers for lithographic printing plates, waste cardboard derived from the punching of boxes.

Short circuit (Simona Toma)

Inspired by the artist’s experience, who says of himself: “Being in short circuit requires the strength to dismantle, reshuffle and relaunch the self”.

Made with: corks, mosquito net, plastic straws, iron hanger.

Flames and weaving (School of arts and crafts Nicola Zabaglia – Monica Cosimi, teacher; Cristiana Pompei, teacher; Maftuna Halimova and Angelina Saura, students)

Students and teachers created a sculpture dress that recalled the flames of incinerators. The waste becomes a whole of intertwining in the fusion.

Made with: strips of photographic paper scraps, ribbons, nylon canvas scraps, plastic sticks, bottle caps, coffee capsules.

Tree (Valeria Zingaretti)

As the musical dress passes, the sounds of nature are heard. They come from the swaying of harmoniously inserted sticks to dress us with what nature itself offers.

Made with: waste woods collected on the beach, beige organza.

Controversial (Erika Petrozzi)

Created with medical waste, the artist wishes to make us reflect on the hope of life and rebirth, after a long period of suffering.

Made with: masks, drug capsules, fishing line.

Green hope (Andreina and Eleonora Amodeo)

Soft and wide, the dress is an invitation to build a future without waste with hope and common sense.

Made with: construction site cloth, masks and masks holders, coffee capsules.

CambiaMenti (Associazione Carta Bianca)*

The only men’s suit in the competition was created with the intention of making people reflect on the changes that man is bringing to the ecosystem, to modify mentality.

Made with: paper, mosquito nets, metal structure of disused umbrellas.

*wordplay: it literally means ‘changes’ but in Italian sound like ‘change minds’

Rain of colours (Nadia Assogna)

1,710 discs cut one by one from thrown umbrellas to create 95 pom poms, hand-sewn to form flower petals on the bodice and skirt. Care and patience for a stunning result. “I would like no one to abandon broken umbrellas and any kind of waste on the street”, explains Nadia. “Do not leave waste on the street! It costs you nothing but the world gains in health”.

Made with: umbrellas of various colors and sizes now unusable collected over the years with the collaboration of friends and relatives, an old bra, wire frame, plastic and metal hoods.

The rebirth (Centro Antiviolenza Angelita from Rieti)

With this dress, the artists send a clear and strong message: “We must free the planet from the suffocation of plastic as well as every woman from all forms of violence”.

Made with: garbage bags, plastic bottles, cans, straws.

Relax (Laura Toma)

Laura was inspired by the film “Freakout” with its story full of magic, extraordinary and hateful characters, but with a great desire to improve the world and make others feel good. A meticulous interweaving of commonly used wraps and other scraps: you wouldn’t say it’s made with Easter egg cards!

Made with: Easter egg and snack wrapping, cushion lining, flower bouquet net, beer and plastic bottle caps, plastic bottles, rubber bands.

My footprint (Simona Malerba)

The intent of the dress is to lead us to reflect on the ecological footprint that each of us leaves on the planet through our choices. What we eat, the way we dress, our behaviors. Everything leaves an indelible mark.

Made with: scraps of bath sponge, bubble wrap and packaging scraps, plastic hooks made from shower curtains, toilet paper rolls, paper clips, a bunch of wheat and an olive leaf.

Here we wrote about the previous editions: find out the dresses of the past fashion shows!

Photos by: Gregorio Maria Mattei, Dress ECOde, Francesco Franceschi, Sara Gentili. Video by Dress ECOde.

Sfilata Frasso is an eco-fashion event, created to raise awareness in the local community on the theme of separate waste collection. Creative designers participate by proposing clothes made by recovering materials to be thrown away. Not just a more sustainable fashion show, but in the squares and streets of the town the local community creates a green work of art every time with reused materials. This year colored plastic fragments, recovered in the previous months also from neighboring municipalities happy to contribute, have embellished the village.

When Serena Benedetti and Simona Maresca, communication managers of the event, invited me, I accepted immediately. “The clothes will be, as per regulation, made exclusively with waste materials, ready more than ever to launch the message #NonSonoDaButtare! – Serena and Simona say – The pandemic has raised more than ever the issue of the difficulty of waste disposal. (Also) our handling of disposable materials has changed”.

On July 31st I took part as a juror in the best of edition of the show we love so much, with the nine artists of the recovery of first classified materials of the last seven editions competing. With me, four other jurors shared the rather difficult task of choosing this year’s winners, in the setting of a village full of charm. During the show, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with a menu created specifically for the occasion, made in a cooking pot, with the utmost attention to sustainability.

Conducted by Viviana Rapisarda, the evening was pleasantly full of clothes, interspersed with performances by the Terni jazz Orchestra. The town was laid out in cheerful and curious tables. Between courses we voted on clothes. It was not easy: the creativity and commitment of the participants in recovering the materials is remarkable. You can see here a short video that I created as a souvenir.

I show you all the clothes: creating clothes and at the same time reducing the ecological footprint is possible!

Entangled in the Net, by Eugenia Benedetti and Graziella Cestari. First place

Made with plastic bottles, mosquito nets, car sunshades, ribbons and old rhinestones. “The dress is intended to be a hymn of protest against the pollution of the seas due to micro-plastics – explain Eugenia and Graziella – It is an invitation to take care of the treasures that nature offers us”. For years, the artists have shared with SfilataFrasso the message of respect and care for the environment, and attention to proper waste disposal.

Worn by Giada Franceschi.

Pss!, by Gregorio Maria Mattei. Second place

Made with PVC inflatables with holes, assembled through real hand and machine stitching and heat melting points. An ironic and fun dress that recalls summer, the joy of living, smiles, but hides a very important message: the desire to return to a society “inflated” with positive values. Doesn’t it make you happy just looking at it?

Worn by Francesca Fortuna.

Crystal Bride, by Erica Petrozzi. Third place

Made with syringe caps, paper and plastic of tubes for drip, antibiotic vial caps, and decorated with recycled pearls and crystals, sewn with fishing line. A lively dress for a sustainable bride consisting of skirt and bustier. “The dress recalls the pain we all learned about during the Covid-19 epidemic,” explains Erica. At the same time, the dress brings back the image of a luminous bride, who comes proudly to the altar, crowning a dream. Erica is a nurse and by telling about her dress together with Silvia, the model, she has transmitted to us the emotions of an experience that she has marked her.

Worn by Silvia De Tommaso.

Sunshine, by Silvia Rossi

Made with surgical masks, plastic wrap from cigarette packs, gold plastic scraps. Silvia involved friends, colleagues, relatives asking not to throw away the masks, collecting about a hundred. Sanitized with water, sewn, woven and finished, they compose a dress inspired by Star Wars, which warms and protects a warrior woman ready to face the challenges of everyday life.

Worn by Beatrice Fiorillo.

A butterfly on flowers, by Vita Masi

Made with nylon mesh bag for seasoning cured meats, plastic sticks, aluminum can tabs, shoe laces, wallpaper, napkin scraps, tubular for electric wires. A romantic dress, with which Vita tells that a flower can be born in the midst of waste, never lose hope.

Worn by Arianna Cicolani.

REbirth, by ASD DMB Danza Movimento Benessere

Made with mesh bags for potatoes, clear plastic scraps, floral packaging, cardboard from the lids of disposable aluminum containers, plastic sticks to support balloons, wire made from crutches. The dress was born from a reflection on the difficult period we are experiencing. It is inspired by the 1980s film MAD MAX, in which a lone warrior is exiled from his city and rescued by a tribe of wild children. The warrior is the woman who in everyday life “fights with the weapons of creativity and passion against the pandemic”. “We have chosen to use a poor material – say the artists – to show that a woman can be chic even dressed with a sack of potatoes, be simple without giving up being beautiful”.

The dress received the Sustainable Passion award from the Legambiente Bassa Sabina Club.

Worn by Lavinia Luglio.

Carpe Diem, by Simona Toma

Made with recycled paper, TNT placemats, metal bottle caps collected by relatives and friends, worn cotton rags, used surgical masks, mismatched shoe laces. “A street style dress, a little rock, a little Madonna in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ revisited with today’s eyes – says Simona – The short top is made with old used rags sanitized by the condominium cleaning company from which they were. The macrame technique was chosen and applied for the back of the top. Carpe diem is the sound of laughter between friends who find themselves at the table together after a long time, the tinkling as you uncork the bottle of iced beer on hot days summer, the sweat of work that has never stopped, got lost, we search and search… we dream”.

Worn by Serena Perpignani.

Lines of shadow,  by Nadia Assogna

Made with an old garden net, two-tone shading, PVC from advertising billboards, a rain cover umbrella, bags of dog food. A colorful dress that fully represents recovery. “All waste materials, if not fully exploited, always have a second chance”, explains Nadia. “We must always be ready to look beyond, especially when it comes to preserving the environment and building a bright future together. To infinity and beyond!”.

Worn by Marzia Assogna.

Black and white weaves, by Donata Claps

Made with plastic twine, black garbage bags, TNT tablecloths, silver paper, 2 CDs, plastic bottles. Each braid was assembled and sewn by hand by the artist with the help of his father. Inspired during a lunch in the countryside, on the occasion of the hay harvest, it is embellished with a belt with floral decorations. “Nature knows how to give itself to man without reserve”, says Donata. “We all enjoy the benefits of him. But not all of us respect it. Hence the idea of recovering the twine for hay bales and everything that could be reused after harvesting to give life to a creation with materials that would have been discarded”. From Basilicata to Frasso to remind respect for nature.

Worn by Veronica Sinibaldi.

More info are in the following pages of the event:
SfilataFrasso Facebook
SfilataFrasso Instagram

Photos: Leonardo Priolo

Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Audio-à-porter – I designer che trasformano i rifiuti

La piazza del Belvedere di Frasso Sabino, un borgo medioevale in provincia di Rieti, ospita dal 2013 un’ecologica sfilata di moda in cui designer e stilisti trasformano i rifiuti in bellezza. In questi anni oltre 150 abiti, realizzati esclusivamente con materiali di scarto e rifiuti, si sono sfidati in una gara di moda ecologica.

Incarti di uova di pasqua, rifiuti ospedalieri, ombrelli rotti, tovagliette usa-e-getta, vecchie pellicole cinematografiche, bottiglie di plastica, buste di carta, tovaglie da pizzeria, pluriball, asciugamani in tessuto non tessuto, antiscivolo per tappeti: sono solo alcuni dei materiali impiegati dai designer per gli abiti presentati. Vincitore della gara 2019, il vestito Come una rondine a primavera di Angela Zita, creato da oggetti di plastica, tovaglie usa-e-getta e nastro di videocassetta VHS. 

Non solo una sfilata, ma intorno al palcoscenico, lungo la piazza e per le strade del paese la comunità locale crea un’opera d’arte green con materiali riutilizzati. Quest’anno, dal mese di aprile oltre 30 persone senza differenza d’età, professione, sesso, hanno intrecciato, incollato, saldato, annodato i materiali da riciclo raccolti attraverso messaggi sui socialnetwork, porta a porta e passaparola tra Rieti e Roma, per realizzare l’opera BTheChange. 

La prossima edizione della manifestazione, che mira a sensibilizzare sul tema della raccolta differenziata, è in programma per il 12 luglio 2020. A breve, in gennaio, uscirà il bando di concorso per gli artisti del riciclo: designer sostenibili, non perdete questa occasione!

Link alla pagina dell’evento: https://www.facebook.com/SfilataRicicloFrasso/

English – The designers who transform waste into beauty: in Frasso Sabino the ecological fashion event!

Belvedere square in Frasso Sabino, a medieval village in the province of Rieti, has hosted since 2013 an ecological fashion show in which designers and stylists transform waste into beauty. In these years over 150 dresses, made exclusively with waste materials and scraps, have challenged each other in an ecological fashion competition.

Easter egg wrappers, hospital wastes, broken umbrellas, disposable place mats, old movie films, plastic bottles, paper bags, tablecloths of pizza restaurants, bubble wrap, non-woven towels, non-slip carpets: these are just a few of the materials used by the designers for the clothes presented. Winner of the 2019 competition, the dress Like a swallow in spring by Angela Zita, created from plastic objects, disposable tablecloths and VHS videotape.

Not just a runway show, but around the stage, along the square and in the streets of the town the local community creates a green artwork with reused materials. This year, from April over 30 people with no difference in age, profession, sex have woven, glued, welded, knotted the recycling materials collected through messages on social networks, door-to-door and word of mouth between Rieti and Rome, for carry out the BTheChange artwork.

The next edition of the event, which aims to raise awareness on recycling, is scheduled on 12 July 2020. Soon, in January, the competition announcement for recycling artists will be released: sustainable designers, do not miss this opportunity!

Link to the event page: https://www.facebook.com/SfilataRicicloFrasso/

A Formigine , in provincia di Modena, si è svolta il 16 settembre scorso una sfilata di beneficenza in cui abiti donati dalla cittadinanza hanno avuto un momento di celebrità, indossati dai volontari sul tappeto rosso disteso nella piazza principale. Vestiti usati che tornano a vivere uscendo dagli armadi dopo essere stati adocchiati dagli spettatori e grazie anche agli affezionati clienti del Charity Shop in via dei Servi a Modena che si occupa della vendita di questi capi.

Chiara, dell’associazione Porta Aperta di Modena da cui nasce l’iniziativa, ha un talento nell’individuare abbinamenti, pezzi unici, outfit da sfilata, suggerimenti per indossare con stile ciò che sembrava dovesse aver terminato il suo compito. Con la sua abilità dimostra ogni anno che presentando nel giusto modo i capi usati è possibile salvarli dai rifiuti e allo stesso tempo sia rendere felice chi è alla ricerca di qualcosa di nuovo per il proprio guardaroba sia raccogliere aiuti economici dalla vendita. Vestiti, jumpsuit, giacche jeans, maglioni, parka, abiti da sposa, completi sportivi, cappottini, scarpe, bigiotteria, giacche in pelle, camice, borse: tutto quanto la generosità dei cittadini porta all’associazione diventa materiale per una sfilata coi fiocchi e successivamente un interessante rifornimento per il negozio collegato. Se passate a Modena, non perdete l’occasione di dare un’occhiata a quanto è disponibile!

Ecco le foto della sfilata!

ENGLISH

In Formigine, near Modena, a charity fashion show was held on the 16th of September: the donated clothes from the city inhabitants had their moment of celebrity, being worn by volunteers on the red carpet in the main city square. Second-hand dresses that are back to life coming out from wardrobes, after having being spotted by spectators and thanks to the loyal customers of the Charity Shop at Via dei Servi in Modena that takes care of selling those clothes.
Chiara, from Porta Aperta Modena association that creates the event, has a talent in identifying the right matching, the unique pieces, the fashion show outfits, the suggestions to wear in style what it seemed to have completed its task. With her ability, she shows every year that presenting second-hand items in the right way is possible to save them from waste, at the same time both making happy who is looking for something new in his wardrobe and collecting economic support from sales. Dresses, jumpsuits, jeans jackets, sweaters, parkas, wedding dresses, sportswear, coats, shoes, costume jewellery, leather jackets, shirts, bags: everything that the generosity of the citizens brings to the association becomes material for a great fashion show and later an interesting supply for the relevant shop. If you come to Modena, don’t miss the opportunity to have a look at what is available in the shop!

Here are the pictures from the show!