Haebin
H.
Inspiration:
I don't believe in fate. If the world tries to tell me something, though, I feel obligated to listen. This past year, I met two distinct, incredibly unique people, both of whom I am positive will leave a lasting impact on my life in the future. Their names? Adam. And Eve. (No, they do not know each other.) Imagine the laugh I had after reading Steinbeck's "East of Eden" this year in literature class, and loving the references and message hidden within. There could not possibly be anything else related--oh, no. Wait. This duct tape color..."fluorescent rose"? Oh, no. Roses, garden, Eden. Coincidence? I think so. Nevertheless, I took it upon myself to incorporate this theme I'm constantly bombarded by into my prom dress. Thus, a theme of roses was born, lightly symbolizing the beauty that can be found within Eden. Inspiration is a fickle thing! Each rose that made up the skirt was created petal by petal, with three main colors representing new beginnings, desire, and joy. These are all attributes I know can be at the tip of my fingers so long as I stretch them forth.
21
Rolls
123
Hours
Jenny
W.
Inspiration:
I was primarily inspired by the universal experiences of mankind throughout history as well as a fascination with the twenties (as we are currently living in one). Throughout the pandemic, I spent most of my time pondering philosophical questions of existence while taking walks at night. Those were the times when the stars seemed to shine the brightest. Building on the idea of history repeating itself, I wanted the dress to reflect the elegance and extravagance of art deco, popularized during the 1920s after World War I. However, the most crucial idea I wanted the gown to reflect was: hope. Just like the skies I watched during my walks, I represented this sense of optimism in my gown that was made to resemble a galaxy. The colors are meant to evoke nostalgia, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, while the abstract design reels in a hint of modernism, and a glance towards the future.
20
Rolls
92
Hours
Anita
N.
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this dress came from the unfortunate events that have been happening all over, more prominently, the U.S. With the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on planet Earth, people, hopeless and tired, have turned to a scapegoat, the Asian community. With this monstrous virus having originated in China, people think it’s alright to blame this entire catastrophe on the innocent Asian community. This has led to violence and prejudice being recklessly and mercilessly aimed at Asians. These recent events are what inspired me to make my dress about the Asian community. Aside from recent events, this dress also took inspiration from Asian culture itself. The pink skirt is decorated with Koi fish, a symbol of perseverance despite any adversity in the Japanese culture. The top of the dress as well the usage of the color pink overall pays homage to Cherry Blossoms, a staple in Asian Culture. Their beauty is stunning yet fleeting, making them very precious. Overall, the desire to showcase the Asian community in this time of great struggle has led to the creation of this dress.
13
Rolls
27
Hours
Anna
F.
Inspiration:
The silhouette and color palate was largely inspired by the Hollywood golden age. Additionally, I was inspired by modern red carpet events. When you look at the big ballgowns, there are often a lot of really clean and simple shapes. I incorporated the simplicity of today with the glamour and drama of the past.
14
Rolls
14
Hours
Maya
F.
Inspiration:
I love animals and wildlife, so I chose the sea as my inspiration. I tried to recreate splashing waves and pods of dolphins.
7
Rolls
85
Hours
Mia
P.
Inspiration:
When I was fourteen, I wanted to make a dress out of duck tape, but I thought I’d start small and try making a simple duck tape wallet and oh boy, did I fail miserably. So imagine my surprise when I managed to make a whole dress!! I must say I owe it to one of my dearest friends who reminded me of this competition and inspired me to fulfill my epic tween crafting dreams. The very next day after she told me, I went on amazon and bought WAY too much tape and started planning. After a lot of brainstorming, I decided to make a teacup length dress with a full skirt and a strapless bodice. Most of the structure of the dress was a mess of trial and error until I got it into a flattering fit. As for the decorations, I was inspired by architecture and beautiful buildings to create the green embellishments. I always loved the intricate wallpaper carefully splayed on the wall of old french castles and the massive vines that grow on the exterior of old homes so I decided to emulate that artistry in my design. However I still thought something was missing… And it hit me, what outfit is complete without a big floppy hat? So I made a wide brimmed hat with a green band to compliment the dress. Now, I am proud to present my dress that I poured my heart, my blood, my sweat, my tears (and some hair from the duck tape on the hat) to the world! Not bad for someone who couldn't even manage a duck tape wallet.
9
Rolls
80
Hours
Annika
H.
Inspiration:
When I was in 6th grade, one of my classes was looking at potential scholarships for our high school years. One of the scholarships we looked at was the duct tape scholarship. The instant I saw it I knew that I was going to enter. I’ve always loved creating things and I’ve made several homemade presents over the years for my friends and family, so I’ve had experience working with a broad range of materials, though I’d never used duct tape before. This scholarship was perfect for me, and I eagerly waited until I was old enough to enter (though I didn’t realize I could enter earlier than senior year). I wanted to create something beautiful that would take people’s breath away, something that I could be proud of for the rest of my life, something no one had ever seen before, and most importantly, something that would inspire anyone who saw it. And when the time came, I made my dreams come to life. I worked on my dress for 11 months, and finally, I have a finished product. And so I complete my journey with high hopes of showing the world what happens when imagination and determination come together.
25
Rolls
240
Hours
AnnaMaria
B.
Inspiration:
My dress was inspired by short corset dresses from the 1950s. It was also inspired by the elements of spring with bright whimsical colors and flowers.
14
Rolls
30
Hours
Lindsey
C.
Inspiration:
I might not be the most influential person, but my goal was to make a difference. The dress I made is a reflection of things I have witnessed, experienced, and read. One of the many things I drew inspiration from was not only the injustices I have seen and heard of, but the presidential inauguration in the US as a call to unity. However, in order to come together we have to become informed of what is going on and what we can do to make a difference. Because of this I included QR codes linked to articles with current and past struggles of the community represented in the figure above. The process of making the dress was not only inspiring for me, but I also hope for it to be informative, and make a difference for the well-being of not only the country I live in, but on a grander scale. Finally I'd like to thank my parents, and all the family friends that supported me on this journey, and a special thank you to Duck Brand for this amazing opportunity.
25
Rolls
100
Hours
Emalei
V.
Inspiration:
I was inspired by the costumes in SIX: The Musical for the geometric pattern, and for the bold colors and metallic accents used in the dresses. I was also inspired by the dress I had planned to wear to prom, which shared the same colors as my duct tape dress.
12
Rolls
75
Hours
Emily
M.
Inspiration:
Over the last year, I found peace spending time outdoors with my natural surroundings.
Drawing inspiration from my environment, I knew I wanted my prom dress to reflect my love of nature and the color green, which represents balance and growth. I began by creating a simple, mermaid style dress that is form fitting in the top and middle and flares out at the bottom. To continue the nature theme, I added white and gold flowers in a symmetrical pattern throughout the bottom folds of the dress. Then I designed an overskirt using clear duct tape and tulle. I added flowers to the overskirt using the same pattern. My accessories were designed to complement the dress. I enjoyed working with Duck duct tape to design a dress that represents the beauty all around me.
48
Rolls
110
Hours
Giles
F.
Inspiration:
I decided to create a dress inspired by the spray painted Robert E. Lee Statue on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. The monument embodies the clash of old ways and new ideas, so I embraced these conflicts in the design of my dress. The hoop skirt and corset style bodice are reminiscent of the antebellum era, while the brilliant colors of the graffiti on the skirt represent the modern era. The past and present merge in the front of the dress, but the back is left empty for the future generations. The chain motif on the bodice and the padlock necklace represent slavery and the continued suppression of people of color.
17
Rolls
84
Hours
Annie
P.
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this dress was my favorite tree - the cherry blossom tree. In the beginning I wanted to only have cherry blossoms on this dress but as I continued to work and research, I decided to add a few more traditional Japanese elements. For example, I included an obi, which is a sash worn around the waist with kimonos, and kinchaku, which is a drawstring bag typically used by women as a purse. The triangle pieces hanging from the twine were inspired by traditional hair pieces, called kanzashi. While searching for reference pictures, I came across an image that had Mount Fuji surrounded by multiple cherry blossoms, which further influenced me to incorporate Mount Fuji on my shoes and on my drawstring bag. The entirety of the dress was created with Duck Brand duct tape; twine, wire, and hair clips were also used throughout the dress and on the accessories. Overall this project was extremely fun to participate in because, as someone who wants to major in fashion design, this proved to be a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills.
32
Rolls
71
Hours
Katherine
R.
Inspiration:
My inspiration for my outfit was butterflies. Finding a pattern that I felt would work with the dress was very difficult. After lots of searching I finally decided that I wanted to do butterflies. Butterflies take many different shapes and sizes, so this allowed me to just feel out were I thought they should go and not be limited to a specific shape or pattern. I also wanted to make something that I would feel comfortable actually wearing to prom so I wanted it to be simplistic, but also have a fun design which the butterflies allowed me to do.
10
Rolls
37
Hours
Caileene-Maree
H.
Inspiration:
At first, the inspiration for this dress revolved around the concept of the Greek Goddess, Persephone. Some aspects of the dress pay homage to her, like the sunburst crown and the multitude of flowers representing the growth of spring. However, as time passed on, my friends and I slowly pushed away from the idea of Persephone. We instead focused on what our ideal vision of spring would be. Unlike the grim, gritty colours that were also affiliated to Persephone since she was the wife of Hades, Duck Brand Duct Tape is the polar opposite of colours like those. Spring is a time to enjoy your surroundings and to bask in those rich, exciting colours that light up your day.
18
Rolls
116
Hours
Danielle
W.
Inspiration:
Science fiction allows us to see a glimpse into the future, to look at design that is unfamiliar to us. While some strive to recreate its imaginative technology, I am captivated by the clothing that its characters wear. Star Wars was a huge part of my childhood. I remember observing the extravagant outfits that Queen Amidala would wear. I appreciated all of the beautiful intricate parts of her costumes that showed off the designers’ great attention to detail. I wondered what great lengths went into creating these designs and whether I could create something similar. Now that I am a Junior in high school, I have acquired the design and technical skills required to take on such a project. I hope that I have succeeded in giving this outfit both an elegant and celestial appearance, suitable enough to be worn by a space queen.
8
Rolls
30
Hours
Matthew
B.
Inspiration:
My outfit is a representation of a hand-me down prom tux. The idea of a not so perfect tux, reflects the not so perfect senior year presented to the class of 2021.
13
Rolls
168
Hours
stephanie
z.
Inspiration:
From a young age I have always loved the villains in movies and stories. Not because they were evil but because they had flaws. That was what inspired my dress. Classic tales of snow white and sleeping beauty and their remakes was what I took inspiration as well as medieval patterns from armors and dresses from that time period. As a senior in high school who literally found out about the contest 7 days exactly from the contest deadline, I had to almost rush the making of the dress. Within 7 days, I created a dress that I am proud to wear to prom. Although sinister, with its color purple, I also wanted it to symbolize royalty as most of my high school days I've been insecure. The bold lip color, the eye shadow, the dress and the crown is my statement to say that I can be proud of who I am and I am good enough for myself. I have also created a small dress for my dog Cappuccino as my little assistant as she's been there for me at dark moments of my life.
19
Rolls
54
Hours
