Say Yes to the LaCroix Dress: A Behind-the-Scenes Fashion Shoot

Confession: We have a major obsession with LaCroix. It’s so bad, in fact, that grocery store employees literally yell at us for clearing their shelves of the popular flavored carbonated water. So, when LaCroix hosted a recent contest, we knew they were channeling our fizz fixation.

The challenge: Show how much your office loves LaCroix by submitting an original creation made from cans and cartons for a chance to win a new office lounge or cash prizes.

We rallied around the cause by drinking copious amounts of LaCroix to execute our plan: A dress made entirely out of used LaCroix cans and cartons.

Dozens of hours and more than 200 cans later, we created an iconic LaCroix dress, modeled by our producer, Madison Hunkus. Cardboard cases were woven to create the bodice of the dress and the cans, cut and curled, added texture and depth to the skirt. And because no girl should be without her accessories, we hand-crafted a camera and some pretty incredible platform shoes with the leftover LaCroix materials.

Although we didn’t win the grand prize (kudos to the LaCroix ferris wheel!) we were proud to receive an honorable mention and 100 free cases of LaCroix which, according to our exhausted UPS delivery man equals 1,000 pounds of water.

What makes these projects so important — beyond the hope of getting noticed by would-be clients — is that “play time” is critical for creatives. From the brainstorming process to the final dress design, we learn how to challenge each other, think critically and focus on a project to lift our spirits and laugh together. If that’s not a grand prize, we don’t know what is.

Check out more behind-the-scenes photos and a video of the shoot.