Students in textiles and clothing have been digging through the dumpsters in search of something to wear for their Textiles and Clothing 326 class.

Students are not doing this because they are penniless — it is part of their homework.

“The first project is plastic, the second is paper, and the third project is wearable art, which can be fabric or nontraditional materials,” said Eundeok Kim, graduate assistant in textiles and clothing. Kim also is the instructor of TC 326, an experimental design course where clothing is designed and constructed using nontraditional materials.

Kim said students used everything from shower curtains and garbage bags to bubble packing and straws for their plastic assignment.

Gum wrappers, coffee filters, newspapers and paper table clothes came in handy when the students made clothing out of paper products, she added.

“I see everything a student is doing,” Kim said. “They make a big improvement from the first project to the second project. I’m very happy when I see their improvement.”

Kim and J.R. Campbell, assistant professor of textiles and clothing, said they would like to see the textiles and clothing department become more of a design-oriented department instead of being solely geared toward merchandising. The experimental design course is one way they are trying to make this change.

“The experimental design course is key for our students’ development as fashion designers and critical thinkers,” Campbell said. “They use alternative materials and discuss innovative methods for constructing garments that don’t have to follow the rules of fashion.”

Kim said the course concentrates on creativity and “letting your imagination go” in a relaxed environment.

“I want students to be very free. I don’t push students, and I don’t want them to worry about a grade,” she said. “My students who make big improvements get good grades.”