The Museum of Arts and Design explore paper fashion from the 60s in latest exhibit
NEW YORK - Paper clothing was a short-lived phenom in fashion during the 1960s.
The Museum of Arts and Design explores the era's short-lived trend of paper fashion.
The paper-like fabric begins with a cellulose base and uses plant fiber that has been synthesized and mixed with other chemicals in order to be molded.
The dresses have a woven scrim, making them very loose like a gauze.
The fabric is very similar to PPE masks and dryer sheets.
The dresses were not intended to be durable, they were meant to make a statement.
You can press the dresses with a cool iron, but you cannot wash them.
Paper clothing was introduced in 1966 as a promotional campaign for Scott Paper Company before other company's hopped on the bandwagon.
The Bob Dylan paper dress was created to be worn and then framed as art.
Legend has it, there are only 50 of this exact dress that have ever existed.
From swimsuits to pieces with funky prints and stand out flare, the paper trend combined bold graphic designs with space-age materials.
These designs were meant to be here today and gone tomorrow, literally. The paper dresses could only be worn a handful of times given its delicateness.