Shinny Jain
School of Fashion, Styling & Textiles

Last Errors of Plastic – Wearable Garbage for a better and errorless tomorrow
Germinated from the waste bins of metropolis, this thesis project finally found form and visual presence in the elite world of Fashion as ‘wearable garbage’ because of Shinny and her hope to see a clean and environmentally responsible society

When Shinny arrived from Chandigarh to Delhi with stars in her eyes to pursue an Undergraduate Course in Fashion Design, she was disgusted to see the overflowing trash bins and the heaps of garbage on the roadside all across Delhi NCR. In the last year of her studies at Pearl Academy’s New Delhi campus, that feeling of ‘Disgust’ lead to the conception and birth of her final year project ‘Last Errors of Plastic’.

Shinny’s actual journey began when her mentors introduced her to NGO ‘Chintan’ and there was no looking back after that. She started with a garbage load weighing 5 Kg. of wrappers from Delhi Railway Station collected by one of the NGOs. The wrappers were then sewn together to make some successful utility articles. Looking for new creative avenues, she thought of getting the waste stitched to make ‘wearable garbage’. She successfully created an impressive sample from biscuit wrappers alone!

“From production to consumption to landfills, the packaging industry globally plays a vital role in the usage of plastic, but is not encouraged to recycle. My project addresses this and other key issues such as global warming, overpopulation, methane gas, water pollution and power consumption through garments made out of chips packets and bubble wrap sheet.” says Shinny.

“While it seemed like an impossible dream; my instructors at Pearl Academy helped me to contact the relevant NGO’s and to overcome stumbling blocks. Pearl Academy was a prime motivator at every juncture. Faculty members are always ready to assist and advise without overriding the original idea of the student.”

The humble idea of clearing and recycling waste and discarded wrappers in a use-and-throw society has transformed into a truly life-changing concept. It motivates people to collect garbage and keep their surroundings clean. While recycling and reusing generates income, it also offers employment opportunities and supporting those who sew/weave the garbage, making it a proactive and socially relevant exercise.

Winner – Creativity International Award 2013, USA
Bronze Winner – The Creative Conscience Awards 2014, UK (Category – Fashion & Textile)

Mentor
Design mentor – Prasanna Baruah
Technical mentor – Seema Singh