RECYCLED FASHION DESIGN ENTRY 2018
MERCY SECONDARY SCHOOL BALLYMAHON
“SEAS THE DAY”
Bláthnaid McDonagh – TY student
Dearbháile Rooney – TY Student
Claire Beirne – Ty Student
"SEAS THE DAY"
Designed from plastic and aluminium packaging used to store food, clothes and household goods which are used in excessive amounts daily. The dress consists of chocolate wrappers, fruit packaging, coal bags and baling twine -alongside digital materials.
DESIGN CONCEPT:
Appalled that the sea is fast becoming the world's biggest dumping ground with 1 billion pounds of refuse entering the ocean each year, we wanted to convey this alarming fact to the public through our design . The frame of our dress is sharp and obtrusive towards the top but visually softens towards the bottom- representing all three states of water. The dress is comprised of mainly plastic materials which is the most common element found and number one source of pollution in the sea. Water pollution is aesthetically unpleasing and humans misuse of rubbish cause chaos to marine life. The wings represent this chaos and the variety of materials that wash up on our beaches each year. We hope to inspire people to " Seas the Day " before it is too late and to reverse the damage we've caused. The skirt and shoes symbolises the purity of nature that we aspire for in our environment.
Our design changed throughout the course of the year. We had originally planned for a single skirt however after receiving advice from a friend we decided to add an under skirt which would also add dimension. It was made detachable to add variety and drama.
The style of the dress is inspired from Haute Couture with the addition of the wings to represent a Phoenix as our title encourages people to rise up from the ashes of pollution and create a purer world. We also learned how to work as a team and developed great trust in each other.
