LAST WEEK, when Ashton Cordisco found out that he had won the Stuck At Prom Scholarship Contest, attending SCAD became $10,000 easier.
His artistic couture fashion tuxedo was designed solely of 27 rolls of Duck Tape brand adhesive tape, and an investment of 80 hours of labor.
“I first heard about the Duck Tape scholarship from my art teacher. She was the reason I wanted to participate” says Cordisco. “Also because of the super expensive SCAD price tag.”
For the past 20 years, Duck Tape has sponsored the Stuck At Prom Scholarship Contest.
“My inspiration was my art teacher, so I decided to design my tux with paintings by famous artists that she had introduced me to,” remembers Cordisco.
“The process consisted of overlapping the duct tape and creating a sheet of duct tape. Then I would cut out the designs.”
In his contest essay, Cordisco wrote, “For my tuxedo, I wanted to use as many colors as possible and create my own piece of wearable modern art. I used all deceased Masterpiece Artists as my inspiration because I wanted my creation to be classy, fun and unique while paying respect to the great artists who have influenced so many!”
Contestants had to create and wear their original and unique prom wear using Duck brand duct tape and/or Duck brand crafting tape. A panel of judges narrowed it down from 355 entries to ten finalists, and then the public had two weeks to vote to determine the winners.
Cordisco continues, “It was hard, sometimes very frustrating and tedious, but I kept pushing to not compromise the vision I had and I am so glad I did. One of the hardest and scariest parts was making my own pattern, cutting the intricate pieces and then making all of the final adjustments so the tux would fit just right. It was such a huge relief, and so exciting when it all came together.”
Ashton is looking forward to attending SCAD where he will pursue a major in fashion design and a minor in business management, “I chose SCAD because of the commitment and drive I have, and I know that SCAD will help me sprout into my career.”
