The Putnam Museum’s third-annual Recycling Fashion Show, “Garbage Glam,” is scheduled for Saturday, September 27th.

The event was initially inspired by the JUNKraft: Global Crisis of Plastic Pollution exhibit two years ago. The exhibit showcased JUNK, a homemade raft which used 15,000 recycled plastic bottles for flotation. With no motor or support vessel, the two-man crew launched from Los Angeles in 2008 and spent 13 weeks drifting to Hawaii. They planned to bring awareness to the over 5 trillion pieces of plastic that are currently in the ocean.

In the spirit of waste and pollution awareness, the Recycling Fashion Show was born in 2023. Seven designers had created impressive garments from recycled materials, and their models strutted the pieces down a catwalk in the Putnam Museum’s grand lobby, according to a museum release. That same year, the fashion industry held a startling 97 million tons of waste, including 18 million tons of leftover textiles, 2.5 million in chemical waste, and 3 million in packaging materials.

As a sustainability-focused museum, the Putnam Museum (1717 W. 12^th St., Davenport) is committed to educating the public about the impact of modern culture and its place in the ecosystem. This year, the garments are expected to feature everything from plastic bottles to grocery bags, with each piece required to have at least 70% recycled materials. They tell the story of the prolific nature of single-use plastics and their detrimental effect on the environment.

This year, 11 models will be expected to walk the runway, and they will be competing in two categories: Ready-to-Wear and Avant-Garde, they will be judged on creativity, construction, and performance. This year’s Garbage Glam Fashion Show will be hosted by Onnica Marquez, Archivist at St. Ambrose University. Onnica teaches courses in the Art History and Museum Studies program, her background makes her the perfect guide for an evening that celebrates creativity, sustainability, and innovation, the Putnam says.

“Garbage Glam is a celebration of human ingenuity and environmental responsibility. It’s where discarded materials become powerful symbols of hope, and fashion becomes a force for change,” Kelly Lao, VP of Museum Experience at the Putnam Museum, said in the Putnam release. “At the Putnam, we believe that when creativity meets conscience, we can inspire a future where sustainability is not just a goal, but a way of life.”

The event kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27th with appetizers from Cheers & Graze with Charm, a local grazing and charcuterie artist. A cash bar for beer, wine, and cocktails, and regular concession options will also be available. The fashion show begins at 7 p.m., and the winning entry in each category will earn $400.

Tickets ($25) can be purchased ahead of time through the Putnam Museum’s website HERE.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.