Tiffany constructed her first umbrella skirt while a design student at Pratt because she wanted to wear something made of recycled materials for her thesis presentation, “Trash Nouveax,” about “reusing objects and paying homage to where they came from.” Fitting. She had already assembled and disassembled an umbrella for a class project and had the scraps lying about.

“I was thinking about it and it seemed like a good idea to wear. Because of how it was cut, I didn’t have to alter it.”

At around the same time, ReadyMade was about to emerge as the DIY touchstone. Soon, in those pages, she gave avid DIYers an easy way to make broken umbrellas new. In 2005 Tiffany taped a couple of segments for HGTV’s “Smart Solutions,” where she gave the skinny on fashioning a purse from umbrella pelts.

Where did the re-use love come from?

“My parents were never poor but frugal. We re-used everything around the house. We had a big garden and composted. We weren't doing anything novel, it was saving money and just the way we lived.”

Tiffany learned crafty skills in 4-H. At Pratt she polished her unique combination of knowledge and re-use affinity. Her portfolio now includes an array of packaging, furniture, product, and graphic design projects. Last year her Dawn lamp was featured in the new edition of the Eco-Design Handbook.

Soon Ms. Tomato will return to New York from Michigan to go full throttle with her re-used offerings. New-but-used products (from jewelry, to note books, to wine cork creations) will be on offer at the International Gift Fair, August 12 – 14. Keep you eyes peeled! (Photo courtesy of ReadyMade.)