PNCA 3D Design students recently turned trash into portable treasures at the annual Cardboard Couture Challenge.
Each student had to make a garment using only cardboard, without glue, tape, staples or decorations. The students then gathered to walk the red carpet and show off their cunning couture, and take a bow.
Associate professor and director of sculpture David Eckard created this catwalk of creative expression about 15 years ago, limiting students to using cardboard to design and hold their outfits together.
“Not being able to use adhesives or any type of mechanical fastening beyond what you can imagine or do with cardboard offers a huge challenge that doesn’t really have a budget impact,” he said. “We all go through our recycling bins!”
Eckard calls the event a rite of passage. “I always had my students do a runway moment just to build trust, community and have a lot of fun,” he said. “I really think it unifies that class group and connects them socially and creatively.”
Paint Major Kadi Prue ’26 rose to the challenge.
“This project was definitely difficult to understand,” he said. “It took a lot of planning to make sure everything fell into place and stayed together.”
Prue struggled to create smooth, rounded shapes. “I had to reconfigure my material and re-cut my pieces over and over again before I figured out what would make my vision come to life.”
Source: news.google.com