Burnett & Catt - Recycled Costume - reposting

This is a costume constructed of recycled materials which we designed and created between March and May last year (2008). We were pretty proud of it at the time. It was commissioned by a Theatre company, although we were given free rein to interpret the theme as we wished. They use it at events promoting recycling. We thought that we'd come up with a quirky and original idea. The 'powdered' wig is constructed entirely of recycled knits/gloves etc. The dress itself is embroidered carrier bags stitched over recycled fabric. There are all sorts of odd bits and pieces, toys and offcuts of fur etc, nestled amongst the embroidery. Her fans are embroidered carrier bags and detergent bottles. These photos were taken on the night we finished the costume and are taken without the full underskirts so unfortunately its not so easy to catch all the detail in them. This is the probably the most viewed collection of images on the blog, 'recycled costume' being,understandably, a very popular search term. Please see more of our costume and carnival work on my website.

http://www.morwennacatt.co.uk/#/costume-carnival/4535101442

Burnett & Catt - Recycled Costume Commission

Burnett & Catt: Finished Recycled Costume commission. 'Powdered Wig' made of recycled knits. The dress, cuffs and fans are recycled polythene bags, sweet wrappers, soft toys and other assorted rubbish, embroidered and stitched.

Burnett & Catt recycled costume commission - designs

We've been commissioned to design a new costume made of recycled materials to help promote recycling. This is the initial design sheet. Its based on a late Baroque Madame Pompadour/ Marie-Antoinette style character with a powdered wig created from old knitwear. The main part of the gown to be created from used carriers and foil packaging, embroidered and woven onto
a fabric backing. The shape of the dress is based loosely on tree roots - carrier bags wrapped around a padded framework of spiralling curls. The bodice can be heavily stitched and patterned. The wings to be attached to fibre rods, we're imagining a loose and delicate filigree of stitched plastics. The gown to be sleeveless but finished with a set of heavily embellished bands at the forearm and a sash of flowers created from plastics (bottle bottoms/ carriers etc). A pair of fans will finish the outfit and enable the actor to create shape and character. As far as possible we will will limit the palette, we're imagining white with greens and maybe a touch of purple / blue, but this really depends on what materials we find. There is also scope to create little creatures, birds/ butterflies etc, and hide them within the wig and folds of the dress to add interest. We'd aim to make the costume look sumptous and baroque, with closer inspection revealing the nature of the materials used to create it.