Lynn U. Students Repurpose Designer Shopping Bags Into Stunning Works of Fashion

Co-written by Lynn University student Alexis Spano

Lynn University continues to take sustainable measures to the next level while offering students unique opportunities for hands-on learning.

Town Center at Boca Raton and Lynn University recently collaborated to create four custom statement dresses using material sourced from designer shopping bags by CH Carolina Herrera, Neiman Marcus, Marni, and David Yurman. “Town Center at Boca Raton is thrilled to highlight the exceptional talents of Lynn University’s aspiring designers,” said Town Center at Boca Raton Director of Marketing Jeannie Robert.

Under the leadership of Dr. Lisa Dandeo-Benedict, professor of fashion and retail at Lynn University, 18 fashion retail students worked together to achieve these stunning original looks.

“Partnering with Town Center at Boca Raton and four luxury fashion brands provided fashion and retail students from Lynn University a one-of-a-kind experience where they were able to apply the concepts and applications acquired in the classroom, along with their creativity to not only design, but also handcraft dresses made from shopping bags,” said Dr. Benedict. “This was a special project that built new friendships, and inspired students to never give up.”

“Lady Carolina” was crafted using more than fifty CH Carolina Herrera shopping bags of various sizes. Inspired from The Miami Fairchild Botanical Gardens show the students had worked on earlier in the fall, more than sixty hours of work went into producing this masterpiece, with three days of design dedicated to the corset style bodice. The CH logos were skillfully incorporated all around the belt to identify the CH brand.

“Lady Neiman” got its inspiration from a Victorian style bustle cage hoop skirt and corset style brassiere. This dress clocked in sixty-five hours of fabrication with a combination of fifty large and medium-sized Neiman Marcus bags. Each layer of this dress, four in total, tells a story.

“Lady M” showcases an accordion skirt originating from the 20th century. Utilizing twenty large Marni bags for the folding and pleating technique, the bodice of this dress has an over sized “V” on the shoulders to emphasize the Marni brand.

“Contessa Yurman” represents fifty years of iconic jewelry design by David Yurman. This vintage dress has a touch of flirty fun with its fringe style mini skirt made of more than 100 medium-sized David Yurman bag handles meticulously sewn together. The fringe style top contains fifty bag handles with a five-inch belt custom designed by Dean Cesar Santolo of the College of Communication and Design at Lynn University.

It’s amazing to see what can be done with creativity, teamwork and a lot of hard work. “I now embrace new challenges and, in return, this experience gave me something beautiful. Everyday is a new opportunity towards your dreams,” said graduate student Chinaglie Jean.

You can see these impressive dresses in person at their respective storefronts, now until Nov. 30. They are also available to purchase. For more information, please email Lisa Miller at [email protected].

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