On Friday, May 17, Audra Krieg, also known as the Outer Banks Mom, organized the first annual Trashion Show with Mandy Harlow from Heart of Harlow. This unique event was planned to highlight the issue of marine debris in northeast North Carolina in a fun way, with raffle ticket proceeds and sponsorships benefiting the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Participating businesses formed teams that completed beach cleanups along the Outer Banks’ beaches. With their trashy findings, each team created an outfit totally made of debris and selected a model to debut their outfits in the newly refinished backyard of the Outer Banks Brewing Station.
Trashion show contestants
“Combining fashion and trash seemed like a fun way to reach a new audience that maybe hadn’t thought about marine debris too much,” said Krieg. Judges from local businesses awarded prizes to the Trashion Show winners, in both adult and kid categories. Kaleigh DiPietro, representing Twiddy Realty took home the adult prize and Maggie Just representing Southern Shores’ Pizza Stop took home the kid prize, making sure to mention that her ‘mama’, Audra Just, created her trashy ensemble.
Trashion Show winners
Federation staff also had an opportunity to present some of the marine debris work that has happened this year, particularly in the northeast region, to Trashion Show attendees.
The federation would like to thank all the sponsors and attendees of the event for donating to the organization. Participants included Twiddy Realty, 1587 Restaurant, Pizza Stop, Surf Pediatrics and Medicine, Honey & Hive Boutique, Barr-ee Station, Islands, Exhale Massage Parlour, Resort Realty and the Outer Banks Wedding Association. The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) participated to raise awareness. Thank you to Outer Banks Brewing Station, The Captain Entertainment, 12th Street Portraits and Access Designs for all donating time and services.