Ever since she was a little girl, Larissa Leon has been fascinated with design. Her creativity came in handy recently when she entered a dressmaking competition and won a $10,000 scholarship for making a prom dress out of duct tape.
Sponsored by Duck Tape, the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest challenged students to design prom dresses and tuxedos made entirely out of Duck brand duct tape.
Leon’s colorful, Folklorico-style dress, which features beautiful flower and ribbon patterns, weighs over 20 lbs. It took her 163 hours and 47 rolls of duct tape to make. She even designed a duct tape purse and hair accessories. Leon says she started making things out of duct tape circa 2010.
“I started making many things … like toys, clothing, mermaid fins, hair accessories and wallets [and] my school backpack,” Leon, 17, wrote in her competition profile. “When I heard Duct Tape had a scholarship, I knew I had to make a special creation.”
Leon says she was “inspired by the Folklorico-styled dresses that stem from both indigenous and Spanish practices.” In a TikTok video she posted, she even attempts to dance in the dress.
“The gown was designed to honor my culture, helping me pay homage to my roots,” Leon wrote.
With the scholarship, Leon says she hopes to study to become a dermatologist. While we’re sure she’d be successful in the medical field, if she decided to change her mind and become a fashion designer, there would definitely be a few fashion schools stocking up on Duck Tape to recruit her.
