Kaugnay Trashion Show 2024: From Trash to Treasure
We are floored by the second rendition of the Kaugnay Trashion Show this year! With an amazing 19 participants, this year’s Trashion Show wowed the crowd with creativity and extravagance, through literally turning trash into treasure!
Photo credit: Henry Fortaliza
The Trashion Show 2024 Major Awards Winners:
🏆 Emily Cordon: Grand Winner
🏆 Dahlia Salas: 1st Runner Up
🏆 Tasrini: 2nd Runner Up
🏆 Raquel Ello: 3rd Runner Up
🏆 Juliet Dapilmoto: 4th Runner Up
Check out our contestants and some of their post-show reflections!
2024 Trashion Show Catwalk Practice
A key part of the preparation for the 2024 Trashion Show was the catwalk practice held at outdoor amphitheatre at Dhoby Ghaut Green, a public park located next to the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. These sessions, held on the two Sundays leading up to the event, were intended to help participants familiarise themselves with stage presence and choreography. They worked on perfecting the timing and rhythm of their steps, where and how often to pause, the way they introduced themselves, and the overall art of embodying confidence on stage.
For some candidates, this wasn’t their first experience on a catwalk. Others, who had previously organised, designed for, or even won fashion shows, found themselves stepping into the unfamiliar role of the model for the first time. Nenita Diauna, a designer-turned-model, shared her journey:
“Usually, I design for other people—for models. I’ve actually won three times as Best Designer in other fashion shows. But now, I’m designing for myself! It’s a big challenge. It’s a bit nerve-wracking because everything is new.
If I get a model to wear my design, I train them to do the catwalk. I’m not really good at the catwalk, but I can do it. But now I’m the model, right? So I asked my friends for advice and suggestions on how to improve my walk.”
The practices were led by Edna, a lead choreographer and a Kaugnay member, who guided participants through key stage movements step-by-step. Over the two Sundays, the choreography evolved as participants shared ideas to optimise the performance for the smaller stage at the actual event. In one creative solution, participants took off their shoes and used them to mark the stage’s dimensions during rehearsals.
The practice sessions were not without their challenges. The heat was intense and there was little shade over the amphitheatre, with volunteer photographers using umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they documented the event. Nearby park goers, who were conducting their own TikTok dance rehearsals with loud music, initially disrupted the session.
Despite the heat, the practice sessions were energising, offering not just an opportunity to practice but also to bond as a community. Small acts of care from Kaugnay members helped to make the hot, mid-day rehearsal enjoyable for participants. Tine, for instance, helped some of the participants’ makeup and brought homemade crinkles (Filipino cookies) and pizza to share.
Post-Event Reflections
The Trashion Show marked the culmination of months of preparation and hard work by Kaugnay, an organisation of Filipino migrant domestic workers (MDWs) established just last year. Members often gave up their already limited rest time to meet over WhatsApp group calls late in the evening after work and in person on Sundays. There were unexpected challenges to deal with like candidates backing out, trophies being completed just a day before the event. Some even juggled other volunteer commitments, with several Kaugnay members also dedicating their time at the HOME Helpdesk to support fellow MDWs experiencing abuse and exploitation.
Photos credit: marliesgerritsenphotography
Supporters of candidates came in droves to watch and scream their friends’ candidate numbers—Emily’s friends had even printed out huge poster boards with her face. Towards the end of the show, much of the audience had left their seats, stumbling over each other in front of the stage to get a photo of all of the candidates side by side.
As one of the emcees of the Trashion Show, I (Cristina) felt like it was a huge success. It was not completely perfect—the emcees (myself included) mixed up the winner of a minor award. There were also some lulls because of technical issues involving the projector. Thankfully, Ramon, my co-emcee, handled the mix-up with a reference to the 2015 Miss Universe moment, and Jo Ann’s trivia questions filled some of the time, keeping the audience entertained.
Photos credit: Henry Fortaliza
The Trashion Show is a powerful reminder that domestic workers are so much more than their work. As Kaugnay coordinator Jo Ann explains: “Many employers, even netizens, look at us like we’re trash because of the work that we do….But we want to say, this ‘trash’ can also be creative, can be skillful. We don't only hold mops, or do the dishes, or put your kids to bed…”
Thank you!
We are incredibly grateful for Kaugnay and all the amazing participants for an incredible afternoon filled with so much creativity, pride, love for fashion and recycling! We also want to thank our judges—Robin Rheaume, Pam Oei, Ijechi Nazirah, Ron Medina Cruz—who had to make a tough decision of picking out our winners from 19 great outfits, our trusty tabulators, and kind sponsors. A big thank you to our Guest-of-Honour, HOME’s Treasurer, Leon Pererra, for the encouraging speech to our community. To all the photographers, volunteers and friends, a big thank you for making the event such a success in its second run!
Written by Cristina Nearing
Layout and text by Lee Wan Xiang