Recycled Fashion: The Pieces

In honour of my recycled fashion class this weekend, I decided to experiment with different paper and plastic recycling products and see if I can turn them into something that can be worn.

The idea of paper dresses originated in the 1960s where disposable cellulose fabric was used to create throwaway dresses for publicity or marketing purposes. Originally created by the Scott Paper Company in 1966, they were described as

"Created to make you the conversation piece at parties. Smashingly different at dances or perfectly packaged at picnics. Wear it anytime...anywhere. Won't last forever...who cares? Wear it for kicks--then give it the air." (Scott Paper Company, 1966).

(*Cited from Glamoursplash.com. Reference Below)

For the paper piece, I explored different cutouts, paneling and layering and for the plastic, I created samples of plastic fusion, chain links, layering and melting. The pieces demonstrate how packaging can be recycled in an artistic and fun way and given a 2nd life.

To learn more about how you can create fun and artistic pieces to re-purpose your recycling, come along to my Recycled Fashion: Household Materials to Clothes workshop at MAC Birmingham this Saturday (14th May)

To book your place go to: https://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/recycled-fashion-household-materials-to-clothes-sc134

You can see other examples of my work in plastic and paper here

*Quote reference: Fierro, P. (2008). The Disposable Paper Dresses of 1967. [Online]. Available at: http://www.glamoursplash.com/2008/11/disposable-paper-dresses-of-1967.html. Accessed: 12/05/2016.