Rain or Shine
100% Umbrella dress (plus thread)

Made for Junk to Funk 2008

Rain
or

Shine

This taffeta evening gown, including the Velcro closures, is made completely from dead umbrella skins. Her hand sewn shoes are made from dumpster finds and bent umbrellas left in the wet streets of Portland. The bracelet is bike inner tube and guitar string. This winged, waterproof ensemble is the perfect fit for Portland’s fickle weather.
Textiles, clothing and shoes create a problem in recycling centers that are bravely aspiring to become zero waste, because recycling services for these materials are hard to come by. There is a minor industry transforming used rubbers into ground mats and shoes soles, and textiles are sometimes reused for insulation and mattress fluff. A more thoughtful solution is for each of us to reuse the materials that we consume.