The inspiration for this outfit was English regency era ball gowns, I used a corset design for the top, and a lace like pattern for the skirt. This era used a lot of florals, that I was sure to incorporate, especially in the cut out roses on the bottom of the dress.
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Mary D.
13
Rolls
28
Hours
Inspiration:
I wanted to break traditional gender stereotypes and design a functional outfit, which is why I chose to make a tuxedo. I picked the colors blue, purple, pink, and teal since they add a vibrant and fun feel. Since it was quite hot outside for my prom, I made the sleeves of the blazer half length so that they would be more breathable and comfortable. I also used the floral Duck Tape rolls to add a spring touch to the outfit, and I nicely included the pattern throughout by using it for the belt, collar, and edges of the jacket. I also used the floral pattern for the heart on the back of the blazer. I continued the heart theme by adding teal hearts to the front of the jacket, which made it much more charming and cute.
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Mary-Jane A.
4
Rolls
23
Hours
Inspiration:
I wanted a dress that was simple yet cute, so I picked a strapless mini-dress. I think red, black and gold go well together, so I added them based off ways I saw online. To help me build the structure of my dress, I used an old bed sheet.
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Evee A.
8
Rolls
365
Hours
Inspiration:
I was going through a little bit of rough patch so I wanted to design something that was me. I wanted something colorful and vibrant; i've always loved 60's/70's clothing, so I stayed with that theme throughout the entire out. Starting with the polka dots, the flare gloves, the headband, everything. During the creation of this outfit it really helped me interperate who I was as a person. So, I guess I could say the inspriration for this outfit was me.
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Angela S.
28
Rolls
82
Hours
Inspiration:
Since I was little, I loved creating art and when I was about 7, my cousin introduced me to the vast world of crafting with tape. She taught me how to make duck tape bows. After that, I was completely enamored with duck tape, I made many, many tape bows, and even tape elephants and fish. When I heard about this contest, I knew I had to try it. So as taught to me by my cousin, I decided to craft my dress in a way to honor my family. The bow of course is inspired by my cousin. The overall fashion of my dress and the tulips are for Nanny. The nature part represents my Pa because he loves anything in nature and there is a little bit of morris code at the top for my Poppy who uses hamradio. The hummingbirds are for my Grammy and me who both have an unusual obsession with hummingbirds. My Mom loves to crochet so the crocheted bracelet is for my mom. The golden scroll work is for my Dad is always trying find those small details that make everything look better. Even though my family had their doubts when I them told I was going to make a duck tape dress, they supported me every step of the way. I hope you enjoy these things that my family loves, just as much as I do.
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Adamma A.
30
Rolls
75
Hours
Inspiration:
I decided to make this dress because I wanted to show that there is always more than one facet of a person. I feel that we often put ourselves in a box to act a certain way and neglect the other side of ourselves out shame or group conformity. However, this dress was inspired by my rejection of this popular notion and journey of self-identification and pride. I am a proud Nigerian-American, but when I was younger, I always shied away from acknowledging my culture. As I got older, though, I realized the importance of embracing my culture and how it can be used as an extension of my personality. Being surrounded by my numerous family members and binging Nollywood movies, I came to learn that Nigerians are very colorful, creative, and innovative in nature. I also have an affinity for STEM related fields of interest, especially math and science. So, I combined the two to create this dress. The style of this outfit illustrates the vibrancy of traditional Nigerian wear and the pattern symbolizes the structured side of my educational interests. And when both of these aspects are used together they create something beautiful. Not only was this scholarship an opportunity to express myself, but a chance to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. This was my first ever attempt at sewing my own clothes, and even if I don’t win, I found a new hobby!
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Keilana Jazelle N.
21
Rolls
30
Hours
Inspiration:
I created my dress around my Filipino and Illokano roots. I was first inspired by María Clara dresses which are traditional dresses Filipino women wore during the Spanish colonial era. And the flowers and water represents the nature in the Philippines as well as the importance of water in the life and death cycle in Illokano culture. As well as the classic Filipino sun on the train comes from the Philippines flag.
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Kaitlyn S.
5
Rolls
3
Hours
Inspiration:
The inspiration of my outfit was just something I was putting together in my head. I wanted the dress itself to be short, but to have one of those skirt attachments
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Jane P.
11
Rolls
60
Hours
Inspiration:
Going into the contest, I did not have any ideas for my dress design. Instead I wanted the duck tape to inspire me. At the store, I saw the galaxy duck tape and knew I wanted to make a space prom dress. As I designed the dress, I was inspired to create circular shapes with the accessories and dress to embody the rings that float around the planets. I mainly used the black and galaxy duck tape to represent the contrast between the stars and the darkness of space. The silver was used as a bright accent like the moon shining against the night sky.
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Cameron B.
7
Rolls
28
Hours
Inspiration:
In my high school I’m know as the ‘Fanny pack guy’. I decided my inspiration would be none other than the Fanny pack. I started with that and worked the rest of the tuxedo and accessories around it. I enjoy making people laugh and thought the pocket square crane added a nice touch.
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Alyssa H.
23
Rolls
95
Hours
Inspiration:
Honestly the idea just came to me, however there are certain parts of my dress that were influenced. The outer boning of my skirt is made like the inner boning of an early 1800s skirt. Under the skirt in the early 1800s would be boning, mesh then the skirt itself. I thought they were so beautiful and wanted it to be apart of my outfit. The top section of my dress is a common sweetheart neckline corset with back lacing. Ive always loved the way corset looked and own a few myself, the corset I’ve made, of course, isn’t a real corset but it will hopefully get the point across.
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Lyric T.
21
Rolls
100
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for my dress is the Met Gala. I love all things fashion I wanted to make a dress that could be worn at prom and events like the Met Gala. I also love roses.
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Anoushka T.
12
Rolls
47
Hours
Inspiration:
the darkness of flames creep upward,
only a whisper at first
Eclosion as they burst
The line grows longer-
you wait your chance to oust the flames
you can be prettier, smarter, have the fame
The pile grows larger-
broken bodies and ashes of forgotten names
tossed in the abyss like it’s a game
The initial cut and design for my dress was inspired by gothic fashion, but evolved to be more lively with the addition of butterfly and moth accessories.
As the design of my dress literally metamorphosed through its creation(like butterflies, haha get it?), it reflects the expansion of gothic culture over the decades to encompass punk, lolita and other more mainstream fashions.
This being my first time making clothing and working with duct tape, I learnt a lot through this challenge by problem solving and being fluid with the design process, starting with making newspaper prototypes of my dress pattern to experimenting when adding the finishing touches and accessories. Despite the patience and work it took, it was really gratifying to transform something that had started out as rough sketches on my notebook paper into an actual outfit.
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Colten S.
8
Rolls
100
Hours
Inspiration:
I decided to use music as the inspiration for my outfit. I felt that I had to divide my taste for music into 2 different eras: classical jazzy and techno futuristic. I have always been fascinated with the old-timey circa 1930’s jazz, for example, albums by Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. However, I was also incredibly interested in the new styles of music that are developing more recently in pop culture and for the future of music that would come after. Therefore I “stuck” them both together and made one incredible ensemble.
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Mark G.
20
Rolls
35
Hours
Inspiration:
My inspiration for this project was the fun I had to build and my desire to learn more about all the countries I was putting on my tuxedo. I made it all out of Duct Tape with a minimal amount of printable stars and designs depending on whether or not I was able to carve it out of Duct Tape. My favorite part was my Duct Tape UN Flag.
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Jadyn R.
16
Rolls
119
Hours
Inspiration:
Ever since I was a kid at home watching Disney cartoons and musicals, I have been hooked on them! Musical theatre from the beginning has always been my passion. Storytelling through dance, song, acting and even costumes, has always amazed me. From the moment I got out my home video camera and made up my own musicals, I knew that this would be my life. So with that being said, my dress is inspired by characters that I love and look up to, like Glinda from Wicked on Broadway, Cinderella the Disney live action, and other blue dress icons! I had so many ideas based on these characters, so I tried to replicate some parts of their dresses, with my own personal touch. My love of movies and theatre has led me to performing on stage for the last several years. I will be attending a performing arts college in Toronto in the fall, in hopes of following this dream and passion of mine, and perhaps I’ll get to wear an iconic blue dress myself!
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Isadora H.
14
Rolls
28
Hours
Inspiration:
This project was my first foray into duct tape dressmaking, but not into making crafty clothes. When I was little, I would make dresses for Barbies and any other dress-able thing out of tissues, socks, scrap fabric and hair ties - anything within reach. As I’ve grown, art and creation in many forms have become infinitely more important to me. When I saw this scholarship, I was excited for a chance to boost my college experience by tapping into a childhood love of making clothes out of all those random materials. This dress specifically was inspired by a love of things that shine - namely mirror balls. I love the idea of being reflective, of making the things around yourself brighter, of sending light back into your surroundings. I wanted colors that popped and shimmered out of the dark background of the skirt and corset. Everything has its mysterious shadows, and everything has its sparkle. The masquerade elements come from the huge Mardi Gras celebrations that I’ve grown up around and that my state loves so much. It was an adventure to make this dress, and I was so happy to be tackling a new type of project.
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Xander N.
25
Rolls
85
Hours
Inspiration:
I was inspired by modern and historic artwork of Samurai and Dragons respectively. I was also inspired by my father's sword collection that I often see when I walk past his office.