When my family returned to Taiwan, leaving me with a refrigerator full of molding fruit and vegetables, I started thinking about ways to use this rotting produce.
Given my concern for food waste (35 million tons per year in the United States alone!), I began my design of a gown dyed with pigment collected from the skin and pulp of the decaying produce.
WHAT
Evening Gown
APPROACH
Experimental
The design of the gown combines features from Chinese cheongsam dress and Western dress styles. Researching natural dyes and ingredients, I experimented with many different types of fruits, vegetables, and fabric.
I discovered that the pigment from grapes and silk were the most successful choices for this project. I then boiled the grape skin to extract the pigment and dyed the silk and use additional organic ingredients such as vinegar and salt to fix the color.
Once that was done, I sewed the evening gown and created a glittering effect at the bottom of the gown by cutting out recycled aluminum foil and glued them to the lower third of the skirt.
