School pupils in a Staffordshire high school have a budget busting plan up their sleeve to help beat the rising cost of attending their end of year school prom. Pupils at Maryhill High School studying product design are hoping to win funding in order to make their own prom dresses by recycling second hand clothes, showcasing their final prom dress designs in a full-blown catwalk show.

The cost of attending the school prom is a much-debated subject, with the final bill often running into hundreds of pounds once the price of the prom ticket, dress or suit, hair and make-up and limo hire all adding to the overall expense of the school prom experience.

One group of GCSE students are hoping to save on the expense of the all-important prom dress by scouring local charity shops to find second hand dresses and then use their creative skills to turn these old articles of clothing into unique stunning prom gowns, the local Staffordshire newspaper reports. The students have even contacted TV stylist, Gok Wan, to make him aware of their project and to ask for his top tips on creating winning designs out of second hand pieces.

The pupils have applied for funding from Class Act, a competition run by The Sentinel and sponsored by Barclays Money Skills, as the teenagers hope to win the £5,000 prize which they will use to buy sewing machines to create their designs, also to buy their materials and second hand clothes which they plan to revamp, and also for lighting and cameras for use in the final catwalk show.

Do you think the prom dress recycling project is a good idea? Would you consider creating your own prom dress using second hand items? Let us know your thoughts on prom dress recycling by posting your comments below.