‘Newspaper Dress’ Designed by Gary Harvey
British designer Gary Harvey, a former creative director for Levi Strauss, is making a statement out of today’s culture with his extravagant ball gowns. After working for the jeans company for over five years, his inspiration began to shift to the “leftovers” of our society, forgotten and crumbling in secondhand shops and landfills. He used these materials, such as worn out laundry bags and trench coats to sculpt new ideas of what we can define as clothing.
During February of 2007, he constructed his first collection of nine “upcycled” (using wasted materials to create something of higher value) ball gowns to be featured in the Estethica exhibition during London’s Fashion Week. The event was a “hotspot for ethical fashion, founded on ecological and organic principles,” and has since grown in popularity as a leader in the ethical fashion industry.His latest creation, the Newspaper Dress, was constructed of 30 copies of the ‘Financial Times’ and upholds the principles of organic and safely recycled fabrics.
Harvey saw that many people “wear [something] one or two times then discard it because it’s suddenly deemed aesthetically unimportant and out of date when there’s years of life left in the garment.” He is now a freelance creative director and continues to influence the world of couture fashion by bringing social situations to light in his inspirational creations, such as the over consuming culture we have evolved into. The vintage flair of his elegant dresses is evidence enough that what is undervalued by most people can be transformed into a masterpiece.
Photo: GaryHarvey Creative Direction
Harvey’s contributions to the world of high fashion will truly “contribute to an ethical fashion revolution.” You can click on any of these pictures to learn more about the designer, dresses featured during London Fashion Week, or to seek your own inspiration for transforming trash into fashion!
MAC Dress; 18 trench coats incorporated around a ‘Burberry’ check corset.
Trash Fashion 