Collecting the garments
For six months, we scoured the second-hand market in search of garments from Norwegian influencers. We thought the task would be difficult, but unfortunately, it turned out to be less time-consuming than expected. In the end, we gathered a pile of clothes—each worn only once. The project could begin with a better starting point than anticipated.
The Design Process
At the same time, fashion designer Siri Øverland Eriksen began designing the dress. The process was based on the collected garments and the fact that it would appear on the red carpet at the Vixen Awards. When we think of the red carpet, we think of THE dress—a statement piece that makes an impact and is unforgettable. We envisioned bold silhouettes, dramatic cuts, and a slit.
The Worn Once Dress is meant to challenge norms—not just visually, but mentally. It should be provocative and edgy, yet elegant and sophisticated. We hope that when people see it, they think:
"Wow, what is that? … Hmm… actually, it’s kind of… cool… surprisingly elegant."
Our goal is for the dress to catch attention and spark reflection.
Siri’s Thoughts
It was important to me to preserve the garments as intact as possible while working on the dress. This way, influencers might recognize their own pieces, and it felt wrong to cut up twenty perfectly usable garments to create just one. I expected to have to sacrifice a few items to ensure a proper fit, but aside from two pairs of pants (which can be re-stitched along the side seams), all garments remain intact. This means that after the dress has had its moment—hopefully making appearances at many exciting events—it can be taken apart and worn as twenty separate pieces again. I think that’s pretty cool. It also proves how one garment can be styled and used in so many different ways—even if this dress takes that idea to the extreme.
I quickly realized that the dress would be heavy (weighing 10 kilos!) and decided to distribute most of the weight at the waist to keep it in place. However, the skirt ended up being so heavy that the waist support alone wasn’t enough. That’s why we sewed in an internal harness to help distribute the weight over the shoulders as well.
With a few smart choices along the way, the dress will also easily adapt to different body shapes, which is useful since it will be rented out for free after the Vixen Awards.
On the Red Carpet
On January 31, 2025, we joined Vixen Awards, where we "hijacked" the fashion prize to put the spotlight on the issue. On the red carpet, we showed up with influencer StSunniva as a stunt reporter, dressed in The Worn Once Dress—stitched together from garments belonging to the very influencers we interviewed.
Who knows? Maybe this year’s Vixen Awards will lead to fewer "worn once" dresses appearing on the second-hand market. What we do know is that we need more role models showing that clothes can be worn more than once.
