Cardboard Fashion: Wearable Design Challenge

90-120m
Ages Years 7-10

Make a wearable electronic garment

It’s time to take to the catwalk in cardboard fashion, complete with wearable electronics. This is one runway show your students won’t want to miss! 

Subjects
Design and Technologies, Digital Technologies

Objectives

Preparation

Materials

Unsure of which cardboard to use? Read our guide here.

Activity

The Design Challenge

Pose the following scenario:

You are a fashion designer on a mission to create more sustainable trashion (fashion made out of sustainable upcycled materials!) Your challenge is to create a cardboard fashion outfit that incorporates technology in an interesting way (E.g., Add lights with Chibitronics, Smart technology with micro:bit or Hummingbird Electronics).


  • Your Goal: Design and build a creative fashion outfit that includes technology to add lights, movement, or more!

  • Your Role: As a fashion designer, you're tasked with creating a trashion show that upcycles not only cardboard but also electronics!

  • Your Audience: Your outfit will be showcased in a local Trashion show! Your goal is to create something stylish and comfortable from recycled materials. Your classmates and teacher will evaluate your use of minimising waste alongside your fashionista status.  

  • The Scenario: Your whole class is tasked with creating a Trashion show to show how sustainability can be iconic and stylish! Each designer will transform everyday waste into wearable fashion that is showcased in the Trashion show.

  • The Product: A stylish and wearable piece of cardboard trashion made entirely out of upcycled cardboard, electronics, and Makedo Scrus! Your final product should be light enough to wear comfortably while walking, yet still demonstrate creative design and cardboard construction techniques. 

Reflection

Journal Prompts

  • What did you enjoy the most about this activity? What are you most proud of?

  • Did you come up against any challenges while creating your costume? How did you overcome these? Who can you go to for support in times of challenge?

  • Are you pleased with the way you integrated electronics into your costume? Is there anything that you would change?

Facilitation Tips

Guiding the Design Process

  • Design Process: Guide students through the design process. Research, sketch, plan, iterate, reiterate as needed, share!

  • Maker Budget: Set up a materials station and give students a maker budget. Make budget planning part of the process!

  • Make time for reflection. Build in time for students to journal and discuss their process, as this is where learning occurs, and reflection provides students with time to synthesise their learning.

  • Share the awesome! Host a Trashion parade to share these fantastic outfits outside of your classroom!

Extensions

Take It Further

  • Students create costumes with wearable technology in line with a theme, such as dinosaurs, robots, animals, sporting attire etc.

  • Rather than creating general fashion, students design their costumes in line with a specific brief. They could interview another student, staff member or family member about their preferences in an outfit, and then create it. 

  • Students turn each of the costumes into a character and write a story incorporating them all.

  • Students measure and calculate the surface area of their costumes.

  • Challenge students to adjust their costumes so that they are easier to move in.

Further Resources

Alignment to Standards

These standards are highly relevant to this activity. For a complete list, please refer to the framework websites. This list can be tailored for your class.