Kent State student Alyssa Hertz is no stranger to the media. Her styrofoam wedding dress made headlines last year when she was only 18. Hertz is back in the headlines with a dress she co-designed with Joanna Wilson, a Christmas entertainment writer and owner of over 1,500 Netflix envelopes.

The pair met through social media when Wilson shared her mass collection of envelopes she’d been saving in hopes of someday creating a dress. Wilson was in search of a designer to help her dream come true. 

The sophomore fashion design major saw Wilson’s request on Facebook and went for the opportunity.

“I sent her my portfolio and I emailed her back and forth and she said she wanted to meet with me, then afterwards she chose me,” Hertz said.

With Hertz’s history in designing unconventional dresses, she knew she would be challenged. She described the two-month long experience as “long” and “complicated.”

“It’s just so detailed and it’s got such fine, intricate details on it, that it took me so long,” Hertz said. “After I started gluing everything on, figuring out what would look best, the best shape for it, how it was going to fit and then eventually going into the smaller things to finish it off.”

Her friends have witnessed her growth in designing since high school. Grace Restivo, one of her friends since high school, says she is still amazed by Hertz’s efforts in creating a newspaper dress.

“The newspaper dress was really fun to watch her figure out how to fold the paper to make it look unique,” Restivo said. “It was super cool.”

This experience was Hertz’s first time working with another person, but she said it encouraged her to push her to do something she’s never done.

She hopes to continue sharing her art in making unconventional dresses.

Ashley Johnson is the fashion reporter. Contact her at [email protected].