Final Draft | enc2135

Usually, fashionable items such as prom dresses, shirts, belts, and wallets are made out of fabric. But, crazy as it sounds, people today are utilizing duct tape to create fashionable and wearable clothing and accessories. Duct tape fashion has taken the world by storm. It was not originally created in a variety of colors, patterns, and licensed characters. This silver tape was actually created for use by the American armed forces in World War II and made in an army green color. Waterproof duct tape had many uses; it sealed artillery cases and even mended Jeeps, aircraft and military equipment (Berg and Nyberg). If it were not for this need, duct tape may never have been developed. Since the housing boom, duct tape has been used to fix household problems and air conditioning and heating duct work. In today’s world, people all over the world are making all sorts of things from duct tape. What people do not realize is that this is actually abusing a genre: fashion. Keith Drone, known as the “father of the current duct tape fad” started this popular sensation (Murphy). Drone and other inspiring duct tape fashion designers are abusing this genre quite successfully with the support of duct tape companies and television.

The official definition of the genre fashion is “a popular way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people” (Merriam-Webster). Fashion is a way for people to express themselves, show their personality, and feel good about themselves. Fashion designers create their clothing and accessories lines out of fabrics such as silk, cotton, polyester, leather, and suede. Tailors and seamstress’ are often employed by successful fashion designers and create their clothing line and accessories in factory settings. These rules of genre help the designer produce what the public wants to buy. Because of Keith Drone and his ingenuity, the fashion genre and rules have changed. Duct tape fashion designers can take designing to the next level by creating couture fashion. In other words, a customer can select any color, pattern, or design and express their personality in one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories.

Keith Drone became intrigued with duct tape in 1999 while in high school (Zezima). Initially, he used duct tape to repair 3-ring binders and patch holes in his denim jeans but found himself experimenting by making wallets and accessories. Soon he began wearing his creations, wallets, belts, and other articles of clothing, to school. He even wore rings of duct tape around his wrists like bracelets. The principal, believing Drone was hiding drugs in the rolls, was annoyed with this unusual and out of the ordinary act. Drone was summoned to the principal’s office and was asked to either stop wearing the rolls of duct tape or face expulsion. To show support for Drone and his talent, fellow students put hundreds of pieces of duct tape all over the school. This encouraged him to create more duct tape items and sell them. His business jump-started and the profits helped to pay for his college education (Petelinsek 7). Drone even launched a website entitled Duct Tape Fashion which provides followers a source for purchasing duct tape, “how to” videos, ideas for crafts, and displays pictures of viewers’ creations (Murphy). This new idea in following of supporters launched a new beginning for Drone and the art of fashion.

Drone’s fashion trend encouraged and inspired others to make duct tape creations. Duct tape companies have embraced this new idea of creating fashionable clothing and accessories out of their products. Now, duct tape is not only used for industrial and residential purposes, it is used for fashion as well. To support duct tape fashion designers, manufacturers created new designs of duct tape. These new tapes were designed in a multitude of colors and patterns like chevron, polka dot, and stripes. They also created licensed tape which includes college teams, the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and cartoon characters such as Hello Kitty, Minnie Mouse, Despicable Me minions, Spongebob Squarepants, and Disney princesses. To expand their sales, duct tape was not only sold in hardware stores, but also craft stores, discount super-stores like Walmart and Target, grocery stores, and even retail stores like Urban Outfitters (Murphy). Because of this, “leading manufacturers like ShurTech Brands and 3M said sales of duct tape have surged in the past three years” (Murphy). To conclude, duct tape manufacturers were thrilled with this new innovative use and were even more entralled with the surge in profits.

One duct tape company, Duck Tape, recognized that their products use in fashion was becoming a pop culture sensation. The company developed a $10,000 scholarship called “Stuck at Prom”. To enter, high school students must create a prom ready look using only Duck Tape. Along with their entry forms, they have to send in a picture of their look along with a description of how they created it. This contest is judged by Amanda Pasenow who has a “passion for crafting with duct tape and works at ShurTech”, Anna Dominguez who has “produced tapings for Olympians, athletes, and celebrities”, Erica Domesek who is “the founder of P.S. – I made this,” which is a do-it-yourself website, and Joe Girandola who has created “three-dimensional drawings and paintings using duct tape in many museums and galleries” (“Meet the Judges”). The 2015 winners of Stuck at Prom was a couple from Virginia, Mia and Chandler. They used solid colored duct tape to create different patterns on their prom attire. Mia and Chandler even made a corsage and tie-able tie! To make this all happen, they used 39 rolls of Duck Tape and spent 90 hours to create their prom attire (“Duck Tape”). Duck Tape has provided this scholarship for the last 15 years. In this time, they have had 7,733 total entries and 515,229 votes submitted (“Duck Tape”). Clearly, Keith Drone has inspired many people.

Not only did Drone’s work inspire others and duct tape companies, but it also reached a reality television show, Project Runway. Project Runway is about 16 wannabe fashion designers that have weekly challenges. These fashion designers are competing to win $100,000 for their own fashion line, a spread in Marie Claire magazine, and other prizes. The contestants are given a budgeted amount of money to spend on fabric and have a certain amount of time to finish their look. Their designs are critiqued by a panel of judges and the worst look goes home. In Season 11, the designers were challenged to create duct tape dresses. This challenge was inspired by the Duck Tape Stuck at Prom scholarship contest. Millions of viewers watch Project Runway each week. This challenge promoted, supported, and inspired duct tape fashion designers all over the United States. In fact, this duct tape challenge inspired Madison Park Middle School in Arizona. They created a student club called “Engineering by Design”, where students can create a multitude of items using duct tape (“Student Clubs”). These examples are a representation of Drone’s impact on the world of duct tape fashion.

Drone’s ingenuity with duct tape and design inspired many to break the genre of fashion. It is amazing that something so creative and different, as duct tape clothing and accessories, has actually been profitable for these designers. People are able to get more creative and express their personalities more through this time of subgenre. Keith Drone’s boldness and confidence propelled him into being “the father of the current duct tape fad”.

Works Cited

"15 Years and Counting." Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. ShurTech Brands, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Berg, Jim, and Tim Nyberg. "The History of Duct Tape." The History of Duct Tape. Tim Nyberg Creative, Inc, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

"Congratulations to All of the 2015 Winners." Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. ShurTech Brands, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Drone, Keith. Duct Tape Fashion. TapeBrothers.com, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

"Fashion." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Murphy, Kate. "Duct Tape Goes from Fix-It to Dress-Up." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Petelinsek, Kathleen. "Crea-duct-tivity." Creating with Duct Tape: Even More Projects. Ann Arbor: Cherry Lake, n.d. 6-7. Print.

"Student Clubs." Madison Park Middle School. Madison Park Middle School, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Zezima, Katie. "You See Duct Tape, They See a Moneymaker." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Aug. 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.