Terracycle Collaboration
From Refuse to Reuse – Turning Trash into Couture!
This one-of-a-kind Peanut M&M wrapper gown was envisioned, created, and assembled by couture clothing designer Christina Liedtke exclusively for the Terracycle Manhattan’s pop-up store. Terracycle‘s hope is to eliminate waste by finding innovative and unique uses for disposed materials. The company’s current “Spring” store theme, in conjunction with the upcoming yearly eco-friendly Earth Day (April 22) message, provided the inspiration for this gown. Christina’s vision was to incorporate the ideas of nature, rebirth, and new beginnings. The M&M Wrappers were used as up-cycled materials to portray how waste can be reused in couture design.
The inspiration for the gown was beauty in the natural and simple process of blossoming spring flowers with the Poppy used as the inspiring flower. The top of the dress displays initial budding of the flower during the first stage in the early part of life. The middle of the dress reveals a landscape of blooming vibrant poppies. Finally, the bottom of the dress expresses a collage of fully bloomed mature flowers.
The yellow Peanut M&M wrappers provided by Terracycle were used to emphasize one of many stunning colors of Spring, portraying the season’s rebirth, energy and warmth. The difference in the various M&M Wrappers used provides a collage of intermingled layers and stages of a flower’s life.
Interesting Facts About The Gown:
1,800+ flowers were individually cut and sewn out of 600 Peanut M&M Wrappers
Inner Lining: Silk Charmeuse
Outer Lining: Silk Shantung
5+ yards of actual material was used
100+ hours of labor
