Graduating green

ENvironnement JEUnesse rolls
out ethical threads on prom night

CHEAP RECYCLED CHIC: Je m’emBALle finalists ’08

by MICHAEL-OLIVER HARDING

It’s the supreme survival test for every North American teen: the senior prom. As angst-ridden boys and girls search frantically for their plus one, accumulate weeks of allowance for a swanky limo ride and set their sights on total post-prom debauchery, one concern generally looms—what to wear?

A province-wide contest now in its fifth year, “Je m’emBALle autrement”—literally, “I wrap myself otherwise”—has high school students compete for the ultimate eco-crown: to custom design a prom outfit using at minimum 80 per cent recycled materials and a budget under $100. ENvironnement JEUnesse (ENJEU), the organization behind the initiative, wishes to remind kids that proms shouldn’t be elitist affairs reserved only for those with disposable income. “Our aim is to encourage kids to develop ethical consumer habits and have them reflect on the fundamental socio-environmental issues that come into play as they plan the big night,” says Je m’emBALle’s coordinator Laurence St-Denis.

As an alternative to the rented tux and the department store designer dress, teens signing up for the challenge can expect classroom workshops with local designers, the assistance of seamstresses for fabric selection and sketching and the privilege of skipping a few classes for sanctioned purposes. “We always get a working designer to lead an afternoon workshop on the practice of reusing clothes,” says St-Denis. “The idea is that you don’t need to be an haute couture master to give second life to your wardrobe.”

After handing in snaps of their ensemble along with a report outlining the nature and costs of all garments, a jury selects the top 30 submissions to take part in the annual Grand Défilé Vert ethical fashion show, where finalists storm the catwalk in full garb before a panel of green style connoisseurs. Given that the event’s raison d’être isn’t to consecrate Canada’s next top teen designer but rather to prompt conversation about how there’s more to being green than recycling, the written report weighs heavily in the jury’s deliberation.

“For some, the environment is a concern, for others, Je m’emBALle is strictly a fashion project,” says St-Denis. “And those are the ones I encourage to think carefully, because a girl might have a stunning dress, but if she purchased all her fabric at Wal-Mart, then you have to wonder what this student didn’t understand.”

With thrift shopping and vintage looks more popular than ever, the contest can appeal to a broad spectrum of teens. “The outfits are always really varied and of much higher quality than what I might expect,” says St-Denis. “Last year, a girl made an entire dress out of soft drink bottles. The judges were actually concerned that she had drunk all that soda.”

Unsurprisingly, boys entering the contest do so in minority numbers, something St-Denis acknowledges as ENJEU’s utmost challenge. And for those who sign up, like Francis Montour of Boucherville, they must choose between creating their own prom look and working on a woman’s. “At first, I wanted to design my tuxedo but black and white are such neutral tones, I just wasn’t motivated,” says Montour. So the young dance competitor sought inspiration from his partners’ flamboyant samba and cha cha costumes. “I’m really interested in the idea of reworking a dress based on pre-existing materials,” he says. “You can start from the hemline of a gown and transform it into a collar. That, plus I really respect the philosophy driving this initiative.”

Students have until March 6 to register. For more info, visit enjeu.qc.ca.