At 17, Madison Tidwell read an article about the "sea of plastic" that floats in the Pacific Ocean and said she was sickened.
The "sea of plastic" is a toxic swirling stew twice the size of Texas, weighs up to 3.5 million tons and floats between San Francisco and Hawaii. Some 80 percent of the debris originated from land.
In response to Tidwell's findings about the "sea of plastic," she decided to do something about it and produce the Haute Trash Show for Ketchum.
"I really want to make a change," said Tidwell. "We need our oceans. Styrofoam is really bad for us and these terrible chemicals are leaking into the sea."
The Haute Trash Show was an idea that began in 1983 and evolved into a nonprofit organization in 2006. Tidwell's mother had seen the show in Seattle and thought it would be a fun but important benefit to bring to Ketchum. The Haute Trash Show in Ketchum will take place on Thursday, June 24, at 6 p.m. at the nexStage Theatre. Tickets are $10 at the door and available at the Building Materials Thrift Store in Hailey.
"I made a dress out of a bird seed bag," Tidwell said. "It's more fun to do this than going around asking for money to clean up the ocean."
Tidwell has planned for 30-40 clothing items to be worn by several models, male and female. More than eight Wood River Valley designers will feature their one-of-a-kind creations and several pieces from San Francisco and Seattle will be shown.
The Haute Trash group's designs have been shown at the Seattle Art Museum, Burning Man, county fairs and dozens of other community events across the West. Since 2002, Haute Trash has produced more than 100 shows, reshaping societal views on beauty, recycling and trash. Outfits are designed from an assortment of thrown-away materials such as construction fencing, food packaging, inner tubes, soda pop tops, coffee cups, plastic bags, and other salvaged materials.
"It's a great cause," Tidwell said. "Until I figure out how to do save the oceans on a larger scale, I will start with this."
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The Haute Trash Show will take place at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum on Thursday, June 24. Photo by
