Paper dress, American, 1960s, made by the Scott Paper Company. These two 1960s paper dresses by Scott Paper Company were part of a novelty line introduced in 1966 as a marketing experiment in disposable fashion. They were designed to match the current line of disposal tablewear, and offered to customers who sent in a coupon and $1. Made from “paper”, that was really a cellulose and rayon material called “Dura-Weave” that more closely resembles disposable paper towels, these dresses were intended to be inexpensive, single-use garments. The collection included two main styles: a red bandana print that captured the playful, bohemian spirit of the decade and a striking black-and-white optical print, which resonated with the decade’s pop-art and mod fashion influences.

These dresses ignited a short-lived fad in mainly the USA and the UK for printed disposable “paper” dresses, and they represent the somewhat short-sighted optimism of the Space Age that directly contrasts with a 21^st-century trajectory away from irresponsible disposability and instead towards circularity and knowledge of material origins. 

The original ad reads “Won’t last forever…who cares!”