Carly Stipe

Who: Carly Stipe, contemporary fiber artist—and maker of duct tape purses. “I make wearable art out of everyday items. The garments I make that go down the runway at fashion shows are pretty much impractical. And I make my handbags.”

Brace for the Future: “I grew up on a carnival. My dad’s grandfather started it and my parents owned corn dog stands,” Stipe says. “I worked in a duck pond. It’s reflective of why I use stuff to make things. It wasn’t like you got one bracelet. I had a gross, 144 bracelets. I used to make long chains of those.”

Tape as Textile: “The moment that somehow clicked was at Seven Corners Hardware, the coolest place in the world. There was burgundy duct tape. Before that I had only seen silver. When I saw it, something in my brain said, ‘Wow, that’s fabric!’ ”

New Purpose: “My duct tape handbags aren’t necessarily green, although I buy things from garage sales, and my grandmother passes on all sorts of crazy stuff. The word I have gathered now in the wearable art community is that you ‘repurpose’ something.”

Tabloid Fodder: “I did a show focused on the seven deadly sins; I chose greed. I paper-clipped together a cocktail dress out of sixty-eight $1 bills. A little boy ran in and took one of the dollars. The mom came in all ballistic and made the boy apologize. But I was reassured. I was making a commentary on what money actually does to us. Two days later, I brought my friend, and someone had stolen the entire thing. I got crazy national news; I was on Paul Harvey and in the National Enquirer—I always thought that stuff was not real, but now I think bits of it might be!”

Sales Pitch: “I went through a mentor program at the Textile Center with Kelly Marshall. ‘Act as if,’ Kelly taught. One of the first stores I got in was Patina. I called them up, they met with me, and placed an order. I was like, I can do this!”  —K. D.

Find Carly Stipe’s duct tape creations at Design Collective, Textile Center, Soo Visual Arts, and art fairs around the Twin Cities, as well as at her website.