A TRIBUTE TO MOTHER EARTH A collection of elegant ensemble from recycled trash

Have you ever pictured yourself marching the isle to the altar wearing a bunch of used fabric softener pads and carrying a bouquet of flowers made from old newspaper?

While the scene you picture in your imagination may want to give you that look in your face, wait until you see how Mt. Carmel School fine arts students transformed these Puerto Rico dumpsite-bound items into something you could actually put on.

The huge turnout of crowd during the showcase of their creations at the Hyatt Regency-Saipan’s Gilligan’s Entertainment Center could be reason enough for the fine arts students of Mt. Carmel School to feel good after months of hard work.

However, the success of last Saturday’s K-re-a-shean Fashion Show could be measured beyond the number of people who packed the Gilligan’s to witness the culmination of the Northern Marianas Environmental Awareness Week.

The applause received by each of the ensemble as they were paraded in the catwalk by Mt. Carmel School teachers and students was astounding.

The cheering of the audience became even louder when the wedding collection, made up of used fabric softener pads, was each paraded before them.

The groom, garbed in an elegant long-sleeved white tops and a brown pair of pants, wowed the crowd as he paraded the apparel to the catwalk. The bride, in her long wedding gown and veil also of used laundry softener pads, was equally fascinating.

The rest of the wedding entourage, which included the bridesmaid, a flower girl and a ring bearer, were also spectacular.

Mt. Carmel School students, through the guidance and support of their teachers, started brainstorming for the actual creation of the entire apparel collection in January.

The materials used for the Environmental Awareness Week collection include fishnets, fishtails, fabric softeners, exposed video films, flour bags, rundown stockings, paper beads, old newspapers and spoiled bread.

The clothes were designed and made to showcase the unlimited potentials of Mt. Carmel School teachers and students in the creation of new clothing out of items that are already on their way to the Puerto Rico landfill.

The project was sponsored by the Division of Environmental Quality to cap a week-long program aimed at bringing the community’s awareness on the value of the protection of the environment and which steps could be taken to contribute to its preservation.