Coronavirus and lockdowns were not going to stop Peyton Manker from making one of the most incredible gowns of all time: a prom dress made from just 41 rolls of duct tape!
Change Of Plans
Duck Brand, one of the largest makers of duct tape in the world, decided to help out bored teens at home this year, given the COVID-19 situation. So, they initiated the “Stuck at Prom” competition, giving a $10,000 scholarship to the best duct tape-made prom dress and prom tuxedo. Initially, Peyton Manker, an 18-year-old from Sparta, Illinois, wanted to make a dress featuring her favorite artist, Leonardo da Vinci, but theming one around the pandemic seemed more important.
“I decided to make the dress based on the pandemic because I knew no one in the competition was going to be able to re-create it,” Manker said. “I knew I would stand out in that way and wanted to base it off of what was happening in the world.” The teen ended up using 41 rolls of duct tape for her long off-the-shoulder gown, which took her over 400 hours to make. The dress features many scenes that seem strangely normal now: a virtual graduation, healthcare works in masks, people stuck at home and struggling with isolation. However, Manker does not want people to feel depressed when they see the dress…
Meaning Behind the Duct Tape Dress
“The entire dress is supposed to represent the pandemic in a positive light,” Manker said. “I don’t want people to think about the dress as just trying to show a moment in history. It is a representation that we got through it.” Meanwhile, the dress also features a mask that says “Flatten the Curve,” an anklet with “This too shall pass,” hair accessories saying “Separately together,” and a bouquet of toilet paper rolls and a round purse representing the coronavirus itself. “I made all of these for aesthetic reasons but also to remind people that the pandemic will eventually pass, and we are still all in this together,” she stated.
Manker did not do the task alone, and thanked both her mother and father on Facebook. Then, after taking some great photos, all she needed to do was wait and see if she won…
Peyton Manker Wins Big
On July 21st, Duck Brand announced their winners: and Peyton Manker won the dress category! “Thank you, everyone, for the overwhelming amount of support,” Manker wrote in her announcement post on Facebook. “This entire experience has been crazy, I will never have an experience like this one again! Thank you for voting, and I am happy that I was able to bring a smile to so many people’s faces!”
Afterward, news of Manker’s win traveled around the country, reporting on her amazingly creative and interesting dress. Without a doubt, we will surely never see one like it again! But, then again, with the pandemic, that’s probably a good thing.