A mannequin displays a dress made from materials including colorful condoms and birth control packages. (Kat Franchino/Montana Kaimin)

Rubber-made fashion: Condoms take the stage

by Jesseca Whalen | February 4, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

Peering through Ralph Lauren glasses, a girl sews a teal condom onto the seam of an elbow-length glove, the shiny needle leaping over the latex’s vibrant rolled edges. Twenty minutes later, she nods in satisfaction: it might not be couture, but adorning black satin with a rainbow of rubber buttons is a definite break from the fashion mold.

This is University of Montana graduate Janna Smith’s first year participating in Off the Rack, a condom-based fashion show put on by Missoula’s Blue Mountain Clinic and partnered by Students for Choice. In addition to raising funds for the nonprofit health care clinic, Off the Rack’s funky outfits are meant to increase awareness about sexual and reproductive health.

“The gloves are the final touch to my costume,” Smith said. She has already made a superhero cape with “a rainbow of draping condoms,” and is looking forward to modeling her design come Saturday.

“I’m also trying to get my friend to dress up as an STI (sexually transmitted infection) so I can have a superhero battle on the runway, but I’m not sure yet if that’s possible,” she said. “STI’s outfit could be all black; it could be a colorful condom’s arch-nemesis.”

Her outfit is one of about 50 that will be showcased downtown at the Wilma Theatre on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

There are six categories that the individual outfits can fall into: “Where the Girls Are,” which deals with classically feminine designs; “Politically Corrected,” representing a “progressive perspective” on the sexuality issue; “Plan A,B,C,” which focuses on birth control and the barriers facing today’s women; “Too Hot to the Touch,” which is pretty obvious; “Retake,” a classic and modern Hollywood-style of fashion (the brochure says “Sexy and Safe”); and finally, “Racy, Bold and Green” — a look at cutting-edge fashion paired with reused materials (although hopefully not reused condoms).

Off the Rack is in its third year of operation. Started in the spring of 2008, the event was inspired by Blue Mountain Clinic’s previously held Bra Show and a Tokyo fashion show in which Japanese designers created clothing that was made entirely of condoms.

“They made extraordinary pieces, just gorgeous,” said Anita Kuennen, the clinic’s executive director. “So we decided to marry the idea of this Tokyo fashion show and our Bra Show concept. We wanted to broaden this brainchild into a healthy sexuality theme.”

The show itself isn’t age-specific — men and women age 12 and older are allowed to participate, although under-18s need permission from a parent.

“This goes beyond barriers, gender, stigmas and age,” Kuennen said. “We don’t think sexuality should be an idea that’s only for adults. Prevention is everybody’s middle ground.”

Kuennen said that while abortion rates have gone down in Montana, the teen birth rate has gone up, making awareness events like Off The Rack vital for the public’s health.
Particularly, Kuennen added, because affordable birth control is not available to students.

“We’re not trying to say that this form of birth control is a cookie-cutter fit,” she said. “This is an ongoing health challenge and I think it’s important to be inclusive of all options.”

That includes abstinence. Kuennen said she fully supports this choice, but believes that it is unrealistic to assume that teens and young adults are not going to be sexual.

“As adults, we need to be honest with ourselves and our youth by giving them information and helping them choose an option that meets their individual needs,” she said.

Off The Rack, Kuennen said, reduces the preachy element of the prevention theme by combining art awareness and performance to spark creative — and often controversial — dialogue on sexual health.

Emily Brock, a member of the Graduate Student Public Administration and intern at Blue Mountain Clinic, said this fashion show encompasses not only healthy sexuality, but is also works to change attitudes about birth control and educate the public about the role the clinic plays in the Missoula community.

“This is meant to bridge the gap between different waves of feminism,” Brock said. “Men, young women, old women … and because of the wild nature of the show, there are a fair amount of students who come out too.”

Last year, about 600 people turned out for Off The Rack, and this year the clinic is confident that the Wilma will fill to its capacity of 1,000.

“The Women’s Center has been a greatly supportive partner for us,” Brock said. “They’ve really helped with promotion.”

Calls for art go out around September and details about clothing design and past shows can be found online at Blue Mountain Clinic’s Web site. As Kuennen says, anything goes in this off-the-beat fashion bonanza.

“I think we have to do something more than a pamphlet at this point,” she said.

Tickets for Off The Rack are $20 and are available at http://www.bluemountainclinic.org and at The Green Light downtown.

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