This Geometric Reflection dress is more like smoke and mirrors once you discover what is underneath–cardboard! Young fashion designer Brittany OxbritzxO of New Zealand designed it for Canterbury Fashion Week.

There was an emerging designers section for the event which focused on the concept of “Illuminating Fashion” which is what I participated in. The criteria mainly focused on combining lighting with fashion. I decided to experiment with avant-garde and create a dress which was very geometrical and structured.

She created the catchy geometric base using cardboard pieces, which are taped together origami style and then layered with papier mâché. Three long strands of EL Wire were stitched and glued to outline the creases in a blue glow. Finally, tons of small mirrors were glued into place to add a shimmery effect, however, there was an issue.

I ordered about 500 mirrors thinking that was plenty – big mistake! I had to order more and they arrived the day before the submission date for the show! That’s why you see me working late in my pajamas in the video 🙂

Check out Brittany’s behind the scenes video showing all her creativity (and thanks to Forever Young Photography for the cool runway pic).

Nowadays many geometric fashions come from 3D printing, but I really like that Brittany embraced cardboard. This is another great idea for STEM teachers out there looking to do a maker project. I can tell you that I’ve had great luck teaching young people to prototype with cardboard because they love cutting it, especially with electric shears. If you are considering doing fashion there is one important detail about Brittany’s project that you should be aware of–it was quite heavy with all the layered paper and mirrors, so there were some tweaks.

Let’s just say that it is as comfortable to wear as it looks (a cardboard corset!) But there was foam padding inside which made it easier. This garment was never intended for comfort but rather a visual avant garde focus.

Brittany really enjoyed her experience combining recycled materials with electronics for this project. She also had some fun with her leftover pieces of EL Wire by using them as bracelets for a concert. So, if you are feeling drawn to glowing wire, you might want to check out our EL Wire Guide. It’s easy to use and comes in different styles, from coils of wire to glowy panels. Get ready to have fun experimenting with a new medium.

Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!