Every year, an estimated 150 million pounds of inner tubes are chucked into American landfills. For fashion designer Daniel Amezcua, that mountain of disposed rubber equals wasted opportunity.
"It is going to be here until the end of time, so we might as well do something with it," he said, while standing beside a display he'd set up on a dining-room table.
Whimsical flowers, surreal top hats and armbands crowd the table's surface. All of the pieces are made from used inner tubes. But you'd never know it.
By cutting and punching holes into the rubber, Amezcua has transformed some pieces into what looks like delicate lace. The top hats seem to defy gravity like a drunken sailor. Many pieces displayed hold a similar playful character to the styling of actor Johnny Depp in his role in Alice in Wonderland. All the work toys with fantasy, reshaping one's idea of what garbage really is.
Amezcua has been piecing together clothing using inner tubes for the past year. He delved into textile last Halloween, creating a costume for himself. But the project snowballed and has since been rolled into his profession as a stylist.
Last June, Amezcua's creations were featured in the Art Attire: Celebrating Wearable Art exhibition at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Two months later, Amezcua's rubber couture took centre stage at the Vernon Public Art Gallery's Riot on the Roof alternative art forms show. Now living in Squamish, Amezcua is working on costumes for Between Shifts Theatre. He's also been asked to help out with Vancouver Fashion Week.
Amezcua first came across inner tube garments in Victoria. At the time he was working in the club scene.
"We had a lot of events that called for incredible costumes," he said. "And I thought the tubes were a winner."
Each inner tube presents certain qualities. Bike tubes are good for lacing work, as some of the thicker inner tubes are needed for items such as the top hats.
When he was growing up in Lumby, 小蓝视频, Amezcua's family didn't have a television, so he turned to the arts. He was always interested in drawing and singing and pursued a music degree at the University of British Columbia. While the inner tubes play to Amezcua's natural sense of creativity, they also address his environmental concerns.
The fashion industry is one of the greatest environmental offenders, Amezcua said. Seasonal trends lead to people continuously throwing out last year's look, while the mass production of clothing places the industry second under oil for water waste, he said. People need to start buying clothing from local designers who use eco-friendly fabrics, he said.
"If we can start making art out of junk, well, that's good," Amezcua said, adding, "I am all about using resources close to home."
Amezcua's fashion can be found at the Trinity Romance Shop, 38155 Second Ave.
