ASHEVILLE — From Taco Bell wrappers to holiday wrapping paper, one Laurinburg native has been creating unique dresses for several years. That creativity has put her in Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

Scotland High Class of 2009 graduate Olivia Mears has been featured in the popular book for her gowns made of wrapping paper, which she makes almost every year after the holidays.

“I’ve been making dresses out of unconventional materials for several years and some of them have gone viral,” Mears said. “It’s exciting, so many people I know grew up reading or collecting Ripley’s books, so it’s really cool to be a part of that and future tradition.”

Some of Mears’ work that has gone viral includes the “Taco Belle” dress, which is a Belle from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” but with Tacos at the bottom, and the “Pizza Prom Dress” which was displayed in Domino’s headquarters in 2017. Another creation she is known for was her dress made out of Taco Bell wrappers which were featured in Taco Bell commercials and worn by Taco Bell representatives for MTV’s 2015 Video Music Awards.

“I’ve been sewing off and on since about eleven years old, but I really invested my time in it while in college,” Mears said. “I started sewing dresses for my dolls when I was a kid. One year for Halloween I decided I wanted to make something for myself, so I snuck a pillowcase from mom’s closet to sew into a tunic. When she found out, she bought me my first sewing machine and asked a friend to teach me how to use it.”

For Mears, she enjoys being able to brainstorm and test materials to bring the sketch to life, especially if it goes beyond conventional methods.

“I enjoy both sculpting and sewing, but my favorite is when I can combine the two,” Mears said. “I try to recycle and reuse as much material as possible — most of my dresses are made because I see something about to be thrown away and think “how can I use this?” or “how can I make this last a little longer?” whether it’s tablecloths, food wrappers, or aluminum cans.

“That’s how my wrapping paper dresses began, after seeing the large trash bags of scrapped paper and bows from opening gifts and wanting to do something more with it. It’s a lot of fun for me,” Mears added.

Out of all her creations, Mears said she’s partial to the “Drip Dresses” she’s made from paint. The dresses took trial-and-error in order to make them wearable but she loved how they looked at the end.

Mears added the creations were a hobby for a long time but last year she made it her full-time job.

“I run a Patreon subscription service for tutorials and merchandise, sell postcards and stickers of my work on Etsy, make YouTube videos, and occasionally work with brands like Disney, Taco Bell and Domino’s on costume projects,” Mears said.

Mears is currently living near Asheville after falling in love with the mountains after attending Western Carolina University.

Mears’ work can be found at avant-geek.com, which includes links to her social media accounts and Patreon.

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