“Fashion also should be seen as an instrument of action, not simply as an object, in order for it to have the meaning it should have in culture.”

-Robert Covolo from Fashion Theology

At May's 2024 Creative Church we explored outward expression as we prepared an outfit collaboratively for the "Trashion Show" fundraiser which supports affordable housing in Whatcom County with Habitat for Humanity!

Together we disassembled old hymnals & song books and began their process of transformation into flowers for our dress! Everything with a past has potential usefulness, if we curate collaboratively its place in the future.

The dress will be composed of recycled materials, cardboard, tin, (clean) dog food bags, wire and as many rainbow paper flowers we can fit. It was and continues to be a labor of love, and we are grateful to everyone who has helped. We cannot wait to unveil it on the runway at the Trashion show on June 7th!

https://www.hfhwhatcom.org/news-and-events/trashion-show

So why should a church make an outfit of recycled or repurposed materials?

Together we explored that clothing can express our values, our sensibility, who we are in relation to Bellingham and this place, as much as Bellingham has influenced who we are and what we do as a community!

As it says in 1 Timothy 6:7-8:

"For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."

May we continue to use what we have in our care for creation and its creatures!