Al Minero struts his stuff for a green cause

When Al Minero hits the catwalk for the Trashion Fashion show April 18, the dapper dresser and popular general manager of Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market will be a walking advertisement for his employer, quite literally.

Minero, 60, will be wearing a thrift store suit buried beneath hundreds of sewn-on tabs cut from signs that once announced store specials. It’s all part of the fun as designers and their models showcase outfits made from recycled and repurposed materials in the extravaganza presented by the Sonoma Community Center.

“Whenever you go into the market and see Al, he always looks like a million bucks,” said Margaret Hatcher, the center’s special projects manager and designer of Minero’s haute couture hot pink, green and yellow suit.

Minero also is a good sport. The Petaluma father of four and grandfather of two is making his modeling debut for a cause he and market owners have long championed.

Q: Have you ever been on a catwalk?

No. I’ve never even been to a fashion show. I’m nervous. I’m shy, but I’ll do it. I just may have a glass of wine first.

Q: How are you preparing?

There’s a rehearsal, and they’re going to teach me how to strut it. They’re going to show me how to strike a pose.

Q: What’s the reaction been so far?

People are supportive. I went to have my taxes done and I was told, “We had plans that day, but we may have to cancel them to see you at Trashion Fashion.”

Q: What’s your personal fashion style?

I’m from the old school. I put on a pair of slacks and a shirt.

I’ve been in this business 40 years, and early on in my career we had to wear a tie. I’ve just always done that. When I don’t wear a tie, the customers mention it, or when I wear a tie that doesn’t match.

Q: Do you select your clothing?

Yes. I’m a shopper, but it helps when my wife Michelle is there. She helps me pick out a tie every night.

Q: What have been your fashion highs and lows?

Bell bottom jeans and Nehru collars. I was big in the disco era. My wife and I won first place in a dance contest on our first date. Lows, I think I was 18 or something when I was wearing baggy Ben Davis clothes, and my older brother told me, “You’re not going out with me dressed like that.”

Q: Have any models ever caught your eye?

Ann-Margret, Jennifer Lopez and Cindy Crawford.

Q: How did you get roped into this?

The PR and marketing team. I’m OK with it, because it’s for a great cause. The markets are leaders in the local green movement.

Since 2008, every reusable bag you bring in, you get a raffle ticket, and we award a $100 store gift card every day. We have LED lighting in the freezer aisles and energy-efficient lighting throughout the store. The meat department, refrigeration, air conditioning and chillers are all energy-efficient. Our waste stream is sorted in cardboard, glass and plastic and we have a compactor for food scraps that go to compost.