Generation Paper: A Fashion Phenom of the 1960s

Generation Paper: A Fashion Phenom of the 1960s explores the era’s short-lived phenomenon of paper fashion through more than 60 rare garments and accessories crafted from non-woven textiles. These fashions, introduced in 1966 as a promotional campaign for Scott Paper Company, combined bold, graphic design with space-age innovations in materials. Sporting patterns inspired by pop art, op art, anti-war “flower power,” and more, paper fashion’s iconic silhouettes and styles—from A-line mini dresses to bikinis—became daring demonstrations of the durability and design potential of the era’s newly developed paper-like fibers, such as rayon (a cellulose fiber), polyester, and other synthetic blends. Surfacing a little-known chapter in the history of design, Generation Paper illuminates the creative partnerships of craft and commerce in the development of semi-synthetic and synthetic materials.

On May 23, the Museum will host a curator’s talk with Barbara Paris Gifford, Associate Curator, Museum of Arts and Design; and Helen Jean, Phoenix Art Museum’s Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design and curator of the exhibition.

Learn more at https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/generation-paper.