Miss England contestants parade in bizarre outfits celebrating recycled fashion

Football shirts and tablecloths will adorn the hopes of the Miss England competition rounds, all in the name of recycled fashion.

Homemade outfits deliberately move away from disposable fashion culture, with competitors being encouraged to go “green”.

The 40 Miss England contestants will take the podium for an eco-friendly fashion contest dressed in bizarre upcycled outfits – some made from fishnets, egg cartons and curtains.

The expensive traditional ball gowns have been replaced with durable materials.

Some dresses were made from garbage bags and face masks.

Miss Birmingham Bella Hakim, 20, wore an outfit made from egg cartons while Miss Liverpool Poppy Gerrard, 18, made hers from empty Quality Street chocolate boxes left over from the holiday season.

Poppy, a math student, said: “I taught an elementary school class who helped me sew while learning about our planet and the math behind the dress design.

“My dress has a geometric math theme due to my love for the subject and is made entirely from recycled plastic chocolate boxes laser cut into shapes.”

Miss Worcester Erin Smith, 18, cut out old football kits to create an elegant maxi dress and Miss Manchester Esme Holliday, 19, wore a Black Lives Matter-themed outfit.

Miss Black Country Isobel Lines, 19, wore a suffragette-inspired dress while Miss North West Eleanor Farr, 25, used her mother’s tablecloth to create her striking outfit.

Miss Essex Emily Cummings, 23, of Southend-on-Sea, made a sea rescue-themed dress from fishnets, bottles and trash bags.

She said: “It is to show how our attitudes and habits create an ugly picture in what should be something beautiful.

“Everything about this dress was donated or found in a sustainable manner and the entire dress itself was completely made from scratch attached to an old white corset.

“Living so close to the sea, I witness firsthand the problems caused by our waste and if my dress can make one person think about their actions in the future, then everything will be worth it. “

The girls were all competing at the Sanctuary Workshops in Leicester to qualify for the Miss England National Final, to be held in Coventry on August 27.

The Green Round was started by organizer Angie Beasley in 2007 to give contestants the chance to dress for less and think about recycling instead of just buying new and ready-to-wear.

Angie said this year’s brief was to create something stylish and creative using recycled materials and present an ethical message in association with Plastfree, a British menstrual hygiene brand.

She added: “An average sanitary napkin contains the equivalent of five plastic bags, something I had no idea about until I was introduced to Plastfree Pads, this tour’s partner at Miss England. .

“Think about how many sanitary napkins the average woman goes through in her lifetime. Miss England finalists are spreading this message to raise awareness ”.

The oldest Miss England in the history of the contest, NHS doctor Bhasha Mukherjee, became a Plastfree ambassador during her two-year reign.

A list of the 44 finalists will showcase more of their recycled outfits at the Plastfree Eco Queen Livestreamed event tomorrow (Thursday August 12).

Tickets cost £ 5 and can be purchased at: https://www.missengland.info/miss-england-final-tickets/

The Miss England winner will travel to the 70th Miss World later this year in Puerto Rico.

List of competitors, outfits and their equipment:

Miss Berkshire – Changavy Kajamuhan – Face masks

Miss Birmingham – Bella Hakim – Egg boxes

Miss Black Country – Isobel Lines – Cooking apron, dress Oxfam

Miss Cheshire Heather Gaulton Burlap Garden Bags

Miss Coventry Katie Marie Durable Regenerated Nylon Swimsuits

Miss Ealing – Rebecca Sinnarajah – Green plastic bags

Miss Essex Emily Cummings Ocean Rescue Dress Made Of Fishnets And Boots

Miss Liverpool – Poppy Gerrard – Chocolate Box Wrappers

Miss London – Jessica Kang – Recycled fabrics

Miss Manchester – Esme Holiday – Charity Shop Black Lives Matter Themed Dress

Miss Middlesex – Keflyn Sachar – Late Grandpa Cotton Turban

Miss North West – Eleanor Farr – Mommy’s Tablecloth

Miss Tameside – Alex Taylor – Cannabis leaf dress made from mom’s curtains to support medical use of CBD

Miss Wandworth – Paige Aston – Face Masks

Miss Worcester – Erin Smith – Old Soccer Jerseys