We’re all familiar with those silky scarves and gleaming leather bags emblazoned with CC, GG and LV – seemingly inconspicuous emblems that in fact translate into major statements of wealth and status. But if wearing designer duds is basically a signal of your bank account balance (or credit card debt!), what’s the difference between simply wearing those Benjamins in a blatant display? Spotted at this year’s ICFF was designer Lauren Vanessa Tickle’s clever Dollar Bill Necklace, a piece of statement jewelry that transforms hard-earned cash into the ultimate display of riches.
I’m not exactly certain that this would fall under green design as much as would a criminal act. It was my understanding that destruction of US currency was a crime:
Title 18 United States Code, Section 333, Mutilation of national bank obligations
“Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”
Instead of literally parading around in money, perhaps it could be spent on something more worthwhile.. like saving the planet? I’m disappointed this made it onto inhabitat… I can only imagine what a person from a third world country would think of this. Fashion it may be, but its also pretentious waste at its worst..
Turning perfectly good REUSABLE dollar bills into a FAD object. No thanks.
For fair trade fashion jewelry @ http://www.greennbrown.com
I think what she did is quite interesting. Wearing money (literally) is not that different from wearing designer goods which in and of themselves serve to represent large amounts of money. Her work leads me to reflect on my own material needs/wants and purchases and VALUEs. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.