The Neptune Dress

A unique two-piece dress has been designed and made by Cecilia Mary Robson, Lead Designer at TeX Innovation, Portreath. TeX Innovation is a textile recycling business currently repurposing textile waste from some of the 300 textile businesses trading in Cornwall. 

The dress is inspired by coral which is naturally circular, utilising general waste found in the sea to build something truly beautiful and unique. Coral reefs, when in danger from the heating of oceans, bloom its full colours, which means they are dying. The back of the dress is white dead coral to demonstrate this impact. Different elements of the dress have been designed using current waste from businesses in Cornwall, with every aspect being reused.

Worn by Hollie Kirk from the University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), the dress aims to raise awareness that treating waste as an expensive and luxurious material can lead to beautiful results. Currently, 10% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from the fashion world. 

The dress was showcased at a recent awards ceremony at the Triple E Awards, representing the SETsquared Partnership. 

The dress was also presented at the Cornwall Business Awards on the 30th of June 2022. The coral reef overskirt is multi-sized and will be available for profile-raising occasions or display.

Waste used from Cornish Businesses

• Cormac – neon yellow jersey
• Celtic and Co – fur samples
• Button Covering Services – silk scales
• Forth Element – wetsuit neoprene 
• Techneopro – neoprene off cuts for octopus legs
• BJ Sheriff – poly cotton
• The Giant Deck Chair company – canvas 
• School uniform – jersey
• Post-consumer waste collected by TeX – old ribbons, insulation, shower curtain, bed sheets, scaffold netting, plastic found on the beach, water hose

Key Messages of the Dress

• Highlight that waste can create something beautiful if treated as a high-end luxury product.
• Showcase to partners and businesses we work with to prototype new products from waste. 
• Display the skills the TeX Innovation team has to help you turn waste into new products. 

For more information please contact: