Neo-futurism, the Metaverse, space exploration—combined with a yearning for closer connections with Earth’s natural bounty—are currently prompting renewed interest in the design trends of the 1960s. The rush to exploration and innovation that came with the Space Age gave the Swinging ‘60s an aura of freedom that filtered into every facet of life—especially art, design and fashion. Op Art escaed from galleries and classrooms and made its imprint on clothing and home furnishings. Bold Marimekko prints found their way onto the backs of well-heeled fashionistas and into home furnishings alike. Wild paisley print shirts, popularized by the Beatles, were brought to market for everyone by Ben Sherman. And one of the most all-time frivolous moments in fashion came with the paper dress, introduced by Scott Paper Company, in 1966. 

The perfect expression of fashion's own fickleness, these two-dimensional shift dresses were cheap and disposable—designed to be worn only once or twice—and proved ideal vehicles for the bold, graphic prints that had become so popular during the decade. The invention of mass-produced paper fashion is attributed to Scott Paper, an American company that made toilet tissues, baby wipes and other sanitary products. In 1966 Scott Paper produced a simple disposable shift dress out of 'Dura-Weave', a cellulose material already used to make laundry-reducing garments for hospital workers that is still in use today.

The dress, which was printed in two patterns—one monochrome and strikingly Op Art, the other in red paisley—was intended to be a short-lived 'teaser' product, a promo for the company’s new throwaway tableware range. You could mail-order one of the dresses by sending Scott just $1.25. They became an overnight sensation, with more than half a million orders received in less than a year. 

With the demand for paper garments continuing to skyrocket, other manufacturers quickly filled the new void in the industry. Mars of Asheville became the most famous producer of paper dresses, selling 80,000 to 100,000 pieces a week. They even began to sell jumpsuits, vests, childrenswear, and even swimwear! These paper products could be worn a handful of times, adjusted with scissors and scotch tape if need be, and tossed in a wastebasket by the time a new fad emerged. Occasional velcro detailing rendered them even more Space Age-esque in the public eye. They were sold everywhere, from corner stores and pharmacies to boutiques and malls.

For a short while it looked as if the paper dress might be key to the future of fashion. That is until the innovative manufacturer Amancio Ortego, founder of Zara, came up with a formula for cheap fashion-forward looks that have become known as Fast Fashion. By the end of the decade, hippy culture began to foster distaste for consumerist, throwaway ideas. And by the end of 1968, the paper garments that had been so popular only two years earlier had become yesterday's news.

Currently on view at Museum of Arts and Design [MAD] is Generation Paper: A Fashion Phenom of the 1960s. Highlighting an almost-forgotten 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. All photos courtesy of Museum of Arts and Design

Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY Info