A dressmaker in the Philippines has made gowns from waste material.
Nora Buenviaje has been making dresses out of waste materials for the past seven years and she said wearing clothes made from recycled newspapers, plastic wrapping, and rice sacks can be both economical and fashionable.
The 51-year-old Philippine stitches and weaves plastics and other materials into inventive and fashionable frocks and gowns.
She said the bubble wraps from delivery packages are “nice looking and make for a good design, especially the black and white wraps” while white wraps were good for making fairy or wedding gowns.
The dresses sell for US$30 to US$50 and are used for everything from birthdays to weddings.
According to a 2021 report by Oxford University’s online publication, Our World in Data, about 80 percent of global ocean plastic is estimated to come from Asian rivers, and the Philippines alone contributes a third to that.
Buenviaje said the recycled material used for each dress depends on what clients are looking for and her gowns are also used in beauty contests and pageants and hoped that in-person fashion shows and competitions that were halted during the pandemic will soon resume.
