Duct Tape Gown 

Eighteen-year-old homeschool graduate and longtime crafter, Brittany Blackwell is gaining attention for her unique creation: a full-length ball gown made entirely out of duct tape. 

This endeavor is not merely recreational. Her masterpiece is an entry to Duck Brand’s Stuck at Prom Scholarship Competition, which awards $15,000 to one standout entry. The dresses must be wearable and made completely from Duck Brand duct tape. 

“I heard about the scholarship from someone on my rowing team,” she said. “I thought it sounded fun, and I love crafting, so I went for it.” Though she’d never worked with duct tape before, she was no stranger to creativity. “I crochet, sew, make stuff out of clay, just whatever I can,” she said. “I remembered watching a TikTok several years ago on how to make duct tape flowers, so I tried it out and it worked.” 

Her gown features almost 500 handcrafted flowers made from baby pink, baby blue, white, navy, and gold duct tape. She spent one to two hours each day in her room working on it, slowly building the gown from the bottom up. “I knew I wanted flowers and roses at the bottom,” she said. “But I had no clue what to do with the top. That took a lot of trial and error.” 

All in all, the dress took around 500 hours to complete. “There were definitely some tears,” she admitted. “The hardest part was just continuing. It takes hours and hours, and sometimes you think, ‘This is all for nothing.’ There are so many beautiful dresses out there. But I just had to have faith in myself and the process.” 

Despite the ups and downs, she found joy in the process. “Taking pictures and seeing the end result – it was all worth it,” she said, adding that her family was a huge source of support throughout the grueling hours of detailed duct tape construction. 

Hundreds entered, but Brittany was one of only five finalists selected. If she wins, the dress will be held by Duck Brand. If not, she plans to keep it as a memory. Her advice for other young artists? “Just do what you love. Don’t force yourself to follow a pattern. Create it how you want it.” 

Visit @_b_rittany_ on Tiktok to see how Brittany documented the process.