Root through your rubbish and have a look what’s in the back of your garden shed. What you find could well end up being paraded on a catwalk.

Next month sees the biannual Wearable Art fashion show take place, which will see artists and designers display a range of brightly coloured and highly imaginative items of clothing, created from discarded everyday objects and materials.

The fashion show takes place on Friday, March 29, from 7.30pm, at the Kensington Youth Club, and the organisers are inviting people to get involved and create their own item of clothing to be worn by a model on the catwalk.

Sue Robinson, from the Wearable Art in the Isle of Man group, said that there are no limits to what people can use to create pieces of clothing, and that, each time they hold the event, they are constantly amazed by what people create.

’The idea is to get anybody and everybody who has a love of art, fashion or the theatre, to utilise other stuff in a different way, specifically by making clothing out of things that people throw away,’ said Sue.

’We present the creations worn by models on a catwalk, and basically we have a fun night or colourful art and fashion.

’But the excitement for us is seeing what people come up with. We like it that people take part, and we don’t actually see what they have come up with until the night itself, which gives us a real buzz.

’I think people are always surprised by how imaginative and inventive people are in the Isle of Man. The craft and the art scene in the island is definitely a growing thing and I feel that people here are really expressive and imaginative.

’Even if someone is a very serious artist, or they are a very good dress maker, anybody who has the skills to put colour and imagination together can have a go at this,’ she added.

’We know that it is close to the show, with only two months to go, but we think that sometimes the pressure of a looming deadline is a good thing to drive people along to make something very special.’

In the past people have re-used newspaper, crisp packets, plastic bags, off-cuts of carpet and many other throw-away items of rubbish to create dresses, hats, capes and other colourful and creative items of clothing, and this year Sue has used old coke and lemonade cans, and even wood shavings to create a range of dresses.

’I’m very basic with my designs,’ she said.

’I made one using old coke cans, which I salvaged and cut into almost petal shapes. I have used wood shavings, which I have painted. I have also used old pieces of hard-wearing marquee flooring. I have used that for lots of things.

Also chicken wire, paper, cast off wool. I have made pom poms out of discarded helium balloons. A lot of people use old plastic, which is a good way of reusing it, holding on to it and not just throwing it away.’

Sue and her friend Doreen Dixon held the first wearable art show in 2005, at the Peel Centenary centre, after Doreen was inspired by a similar artistic movement she saw when living in New Zealand.

This year’s show will be their eighth and, so far, Sue and her team have amassed 28 different dresses in the show, created over the past two years by members of the Wearable Art group, a like-minded group of artists and fashion-conscious creatives and who meet up once a month to discuss hints and ideas.

’We already have a lot of designs for this show, made alongside a variety of people. We have one artist who is doing a project with a team of youngsters, and we also hope to get some of the foundation art students from the University College Isle of Man on board too.

’And we would still like to hear from anybody who would want to take part.’

For more information on how to become involved in this year’s wearable art show, contact Sue on 842592, visit the Wearable Art on the Isle of Man Facebook page, or email splatt89@hotmail,.com

by Mike Wade

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