Sophia
P.
Inspiration:
I am Sophia, a seventeen year old high school student. The inspiration for my dress comes from a Japanese language and culture class I took this year. I featured several traditional Japanese elements into my dress. I included a pleated kimono belt, the Japanese red crowned crane which is an iconic symbol for luck, and cherry blossoms which Japan is famous for. I also integrated traditional Japanese patterns into the dress. Many are familiar with patterns such as stripes and polk-a-dots, however, there are patterns like these that are uniquely used in traditional Japanese clothing. I included two of these patterns in my dress. The blue flower pattern running through my dress is called Shippo, where you cannot distinguish when one flower ends or begins. The cascading curves at the trim of my dress is called Saigaiha which represent the waves of the open ocean. This is my dedication to all of the high school students that were not able to attend prom this year. I had so much fun making this dress and I learned a lot. Thank you DuckTape!
29
Rolls
58
Hours
Kahli
C.
Inspiration:
My prom outfit, named "Blossom", is inspired by the recurring theme of flowers I've recently noticed in my life. When planning for my school prom, I'd spent a year building an inspiration board. It was filled to the brim with my dream of textured dress skirts and sweetheart necklines. Once the pandemic closed down public events and cancelled any shot at a prom, I noticed a lot of flowers coming my way. They littered my social media as friends tried their hands at gardening. They sat outside of grocery stores in time for Spring. They were everywhere! Hand-crafting over 200 flowers from duct tape kept me in bright spirits during such a tough time. Even better, they made for a beautiful dress and accessories!
20
Rolls
58
Hours
Hannah
K.
Inspiration:
I was inspired by my own sense of fashion, which is more simple and filled with darker colors. I wanted to create a dress that I would love to wear to prom.
16
Rolls
65
Hours
Julianne
K.
Inspiration:
I made my dress to resemble the cherry blossoms in Japan. My family has good friends who live in Japan, and when I began making the dress, the Covid-19 outbreak was becoming more serious in Japan, so created the dress with my memories of my Japanese friends in mind.
10
Rolls
30
Hours
Kaitlin
K.
Inspiration:
The inspiration for my dress was simplicity. From far away, it looks simple, just as a person seems simple at first. As you get closer to the dress, you see the detail, just as you know more detail about someone the “closer” you get to them.
16
Rolls
40
Hours
Kalem
J.
Inspiration:
We wanted to make a Zoot suit with a big hat(I collect weird hats)
9
Rolls
15
Hours
Evelyn
K.
Inspiration:
The inspiration for my tux was based off of a few different things. The first inspiration was from my town/high school. My town/high school is so accepting of everyone no matter their race, their sexuality, the income/class of a person, the way you look/dress, or who you love. My high school/town's acceptance made me choose to do a feminine twist on a tux instead of a dress. Still thinking of my town/high school, I decided to have a red and black color scheme. My school's colors are red and black. My senior year was unfortunately cut short, but even my high school tried to make us seniors feel better about the situation. Therefore, I decided to cover my outfit with roses, as a rose was our senior class flower. My second inspiration was the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has affected everyone across the world in some way. The whole world has been brought together to work towards a cure. It is very rare that the whole world works together. Therefore, I decided to put a map on the back of my tux with the words "Let's Stick Together and Change the World". If everyone across the world worked together we could end racism, climate change, female/male pay gap, gain more support for the LGBTQ+ community, and more. We are way more powerful if we stick together than by ourselves. (The last image shows accessories that include: pair of shoes, a choker necklace, bracelet, two different rings, a boutonniere, hair piece, a face mask, headband, and earrings).
11
Rolls
80
Hours
Melchahim
H.
Inspiration:
My outfit was inspired more on a Victorian era outfit, not quite steampunk
17
Rolls
20
Hours
Hayley
B.
Inspiration:
The star pattern is inspired by the clear sky in my backyard. When stars are visible, my dad and I enjoy looking for shooting stars, planets, and the ISS (International Space Station). Before my prom was canceled, I enjoyed looking at dresses that I would possibly purchase. The style of this dress is inspired by the contemporary and modern styles I saw online.
17
Rolls
45
Hours
Xontianyah
W.
Inspiration:
My inspiration came from the prom dress I wanted to wear to prom this year. Unfortunately, class of 2020 did not have a prom. I was excited to hear that I could make my dress with duck tape.
10
Rolls
13
Hours
Kathleen
Z.
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this outfit came from looking at my grandma's garden. I often sit outside and sketch the flowers so when I heard about this scholarship I decided to include my drawings as inspiration. I've been interested in fashion design so I used some of my designs to help make a functional and fashionable dress.
7
Rolls
18
Hours
Michael
B.
Inspiration:
My goal was to make a tux that looked like real fabric and use techniques that have not been used before.
I also wanted it to represent my past behind me and my future ahead of me. The Mustang is the mascot for my high school (Cypress Ranch High School). The red colors in the front represent my future at Texas Tech studying Mechanical Engineering. Go Raiders!!
19
Rolls
155
Hours
George
N.
Inspiration:
My Inspiration:
I have two inspirations. My first inspiration comes from my last name. The surname Norman is Scottish and Viking and means "men of the North". The Vikings located on the northern coast of France and this area is still called Normandy, The second and biggest inspiration is the fact that In love anything and everything medieval. Swords, sword fighting, shields, armour, Knights of the Round Table, horses, hunting, castles and of course kilts.
Thank you for looking at my entry and I hope you like it.
15
Rolls
45
Hours
Lindsay
W.
Inspiration:
A couple of years ago, I found this contest. Ever since I had been thinking of what I would do for my dress when I was eligible to enter. I knew that I wanted a simple and slightly elegant dress that looked very much like traditional prom dresses. So, I stuck to a simple color pallets and a very common dress style, off-shoulder.
10
Rolls
30
Hours
Angelina
P.
Inspiration:
The inspiration for my dress came from my love for my dad. As I've been preparing to leave him and my mom for college I decided to create an ode to one last “daddy daughter dance” before I grow up for good. We already cried through my at-home graduation ceremony and when my college acceptance letter came through, but I thought I could pull on one more heart string from him. I hand painted all the golden flowers and see-through layers of clear tape, and cut out each petal, leaf and pattern. The dress was made entirely from scratch and is completely made out of tape and thread. I sewed most of the smaller pieces by machine and then by hand for the thicker areas. In the end, my dress reflects the "golden fairy tale days" of my childhood while honoring the woman I'm coming to be.
The circumstances of this year have thrown many of us into what seems like an infinite loop of despair. We are experiencing loss and suffering in many different ways. With these new restrictions in the world, I’m happy for the opportunity to use my imagination and creativity to find new ways to move forward.
15
Rolls
100
Hours
Jessica
P.
Inspiration:
This is my first time trying to make a dress out of duck tape and I must say it was a challenge, I’m so glad I was able to produce a dress. Being housebound due to the virus, and not being able to attend my prom, I decided to make a dress to occupy myself while getting ready for College in Sept. I have been in Army cadets for six years and its one of the best choices in life I have made. I was reflecting and thought of our trip to the 100 Anniversary of the 1st World War in Beaumont Hamel. It was a truly enlightening experience and I wanted to use the poppy on my dress in honor of those who sacrificed their lives and fought for us, July 1st I will always remember.
11
Rolls
48
Hours
Dao
T.
Inspiration:
I appreciate video game character designs and while designing this, my mind ended up incorporating some of those common features, like the tail sort of design and the pants/shorts underneath. The design concept (the drawing) was subconsciously influenced by the many cartoons and movies that I have watched growing up, and the dress itself actually somewhat resembles the wear of a "magical girl" and also has some unintentional similarities to some female superhero costumes (likely due to the fact that I was initially game design inspired.) In terms of color, I originally wanted a more nature-y leaf inspired look, but we ended up not being able to find a suitable enough green, so I decided to go with a royal-color triad of blue, white, and gold (and coincidentally I end up representing my high school - I guess I have NoCro spirit on the inside). The straps on the back (the back lattice?) were done because they seemed pretty and fun to do.
9
Rolls
38
Hours
Gus
M.
Inspiration:
When designing my tuxedo, it was my goal to base it off of an object or idea that would be able to pay homage to both my past and where I see myself in the future. As a recent high school graduate that is planning to major in middle education, few symbols communicated this idea better than a pencil in the way that it serves as an iconic representation of school in America. I hoped to communicate this theme through a minimalistic approach that incorporated all the colors of a classic pencil (black, wood, yellow, green, and pink) in addition to the pencil “cane” that accompanied the tux. In regards to the text on the back of the jacket, I wanted to be able to share my teaching philosophy while still sticking to the pencil theme in a way that demonstrated the lasting effect that a great teacher can have on a student. It leaves a mark. As a student teacher at the school pictured in the background, I was presented with many opportunities where I was able to leave my mark on students. Although this academic year may not have looked like others, I hope I encouraged my students to make the most of themselves while additionally inspiring them to leave their mark on others.
17
Rolls
33
Hours