Trashion Fashion Winners Announced

Sonoma Community Center gives awards at the Annual Trash Bash

Sonoma, California. The Sonoma Community Center is pleased to announce the 2026 16th Annual Trashion Fashion Runway Show winners. Winners were chosen in youth/teen and adult categories by judges, and attendees of the shows voted for the People’s Choice Award in adult and youth categories sponsored by Republic Thrift. Awards were given on Saturday, April 25, at the annual Trash Bash Wrap Party and inaugural City of Sonoma Earth Day Event at the Center.

Over 800 people attended the sold-out runway shows at the Sonoma Veterans Hall on Saturday, May 18th. Over 40 models walked the 60-foot runway like pros after just one night’s rehearsal with runway coach Cat Austin. Each wore a design created from garbage, recyclables, thrifted items, and upcycled textiles.

Just a small list of items used in this year’s show includes over 800 yard tags and sale advertisements from Friedman Brothers by Amanda Ahlborn. Janet Fogg used 84 Squishmallows in her design, “Empress of Squishmallows.” Other interesting items used were 100 wheat pennies, hundreds of paper beads made from telephone books, over 600 soda can tabs, and a lifetime of CPAP machine tubes.

The runway judges were the very fashionable Ryan Lely, Marie Kneemeyer, the Public Education Manager at Recology Sonoma Marin, and visiting fashion designer /Instagram sensation, Cory Infinite of Kansas City, Missouri. Between watching both shows and talking to designers backstage, each judge scored the adult designs in the following categories: Most Theatrical, Avant-Garde, Best Use of Unconventional Materials, and Upcycled Textiles. Youth, ages 9-13, and teens, ages 14-17, were judged separately.

“I feel extremely blessed to be part of an event so impactful and inspiring,” Infinite said. “Trashion Fashion is much more than turning trash into fashion. It’s about bringing people together to celebrate positive change creatively.”

“Judging this year’s show was both inspiring and challenging. I was struck by the level of creativity on the runway and by the care that each designer brought to their work,” added Lely. “The storytelling was especially amazing, with looks that evoked everything from Japanese street fashion to post-apocalyptic romance. That depth of imagination made every piece feel distinct, and judging even more difficult!”

The Trashion Fashion Runway Show and “Barbies & Bags” Exhibit & Auction are annual fundraisers for the Sonoma Community Center. Many of this year’s designs are currently on display throughout the Center, which is located at 276 East Napa Street.

Congratulations to the 2026 Trashion Fashion Runway Design Winners!

Adult Division Winners

The Vickie Soulier “Most Theatrical” Award: “The Ghost of the Good Ship Amazon” by designer Spencer DeSylva
The Janet Nusbaum “Avante-Garde” Award: “The Empress of Squishmellows” by designer Janet Fogg
The Lynn Martin “Best Use of Non-Recyclable Materials” Award: “Mad Maxine, Disconnected” by designer Robert Stickley
The Williamson’s “Upcycled Textiles” Award: “Patchwork Pixie” by designer Cat Smith

The Sonoma Moon & Star Mental Health Youth Awards for Teens & Youth

Teen: “Knights of the 5th Table” designed by Artquest High School team Lucas Beseda, Liam Gibbs, Desmond Coleman, and Raymond Lopez Cuevas

Youth:

First Place: “The Color Queen” designed by Juniper Pearl
Second Place “Yin Yang” designed by Mackenzie Anderson & Rory Livingston

Republic of Thrift People’s Choice Award Winners

Adult: “Dark Sea Serenade” by designer Laurie Landau
Team: “Penny the Cat” Athena Ting
Teen: “True Beauty” by Credo High School team Ave Bloomston Morris and Emily Argueta
Youth: “The Color Queen” designed by Juniper Pearl