Trash bags usually evoke negative emotions from people, as it is associated with garbage, decay, unpleasant smell, and bad hygiene. I wanted to make a fashionable skirt out of trash bags. I hoped that the skirt would make people re-associate trash bags with fashion and beauty, and transform trash bags into something beautify and desirable.
When I presented my skirt to the class, I was able to accomplish the intended outcome. I first asked the audience about their association for trash bags, the words thrown out were along the line of decay and disgust. Then a volunteer put on the trash bag skirt, many audience member uttered “wow”; one student commented that the dress reminded him of fashion icon Lady Gaga and he liked the dress. Two students commented that dress “looked like leather”. These comments indicated the audience saw the trash bag skirt as a fashion item instead of an object associated with garbage.
This project made me realize that trash bags are great materials for practicing fashion design, as they provide large canvases that can be easily cut and joined together. Their texture is sturdy enough to hold shapes, and as a bonus, they are dirt cheap and available everywhere! Kids should use trash bags to build their own dream clothes.