Media Release

12 April, 2007

Council to restructure Trash to Fashion to secure a bright future

Trash to Fashion – the fashion show where the garments are made from recycled materials rescued from the rubbish bin - is to be taken to a whole new level.

The council’s City Development Committee has agreed to one-off additional funding in the 2007/08 budget, to ensure the show can go ahead this year while it is being restructured.

The committee has voted to provide up to an extra $190,000 in the 2007/2008 year.

However, Councillor Judy Lawley, chairman of the Culture, Arts and Events Special Committee says that the extra funding has been underwritten rather than granted.

“The events company hired to stage the show is expected to find as much of the extra money through sponsorship, as possible” she says.

Councillor Lawley says that the council has faith in the Trash to Fashion concept.

“The concept isn’t the problem. The show actually has an international reputation. The problem is that it has ‘outgrown its strength’; it isn’t structured in a way that can sustain its growth or capitalise on its success,” Councillor Lawley says.

“With a more commercial structure and realistic marketing, it can have a very bright future,” she says..

“We didn’t want to drop the show, we just wanted to find a way to stop it losing money. After all it has become a Waitakere icon. It is very well supported in schools and elsewhere and there would be thousands of disappointed people if we canned it,” she says.

Councillor Lawley says that Trash to Fashion also helps to educate the public – and especially young people – about the Zero Waste to Landfill message, as well as providing a popular show which could rival events like Wearable Arts.

“So, the extra budget this year – which is a one off and I want to emphasise that – buys us the time to do the restructuring this year and fully implement it in 2008,” she says.

Part of the restructure will involve hiring a professional events company to produce the show. It will have to find significantly increased sponsorship and fund a much larger marketing budget.

“We don’t want to have a gap year while we restructure because there is a real danger the show will lose momentum – which will make it more difficult to secure sponsorships in the future,” she says.

“The best option is to give it enough resources to maintain momentum in the short term while undertaking a restructure that will set it up for the future. After that, we look forward to the amount of council support reducing as it becomes more and more self-sufficient,” Councillor Lawley says.

She says the council has taken similar action with other public attractions that needed “to gain traction”.

“Some things are just worth doing for the good of the community and it is our duty to see that they get done. Money isn’t the only measurement.

“West Wave and the Massey Leisure Centre are cases in point. The council provided initial support and then expected to see those facilities standing on their own feet and needing less and less support from us. We established the Trust Stadium the same way.

“And we support all manner of events without expecting any kind of return on the investment,” she says.

ENDS

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