STICKY STYLE

Five girls and a roll of duct tape

Polyestersuitsandplasticshoes haveenjoyed a stintinthefashion spotlight, so why not duct tape accessories? It’s a trend sure to stick.

AmongstudentsatMossHaven Elementary, bracelets, rings and even shoesmadefromthesturdysticky material are all the rage and the members of the Duct Tape Club — 11-yearolds Carly Kight, Mary BeMant, Jacey Bishop,BrynnChavezandCallie Patten — are cashing in on it. Their business card, a laminated and slightlycrookedpapercutout,reads,“5 Girlsand a RollofDuctTape:For orders e-mail us at fivegirlsandarollofducttape@yahoo.com.”

While the girls wait on their dads to buildthem a websiteoverthesummer,theprettypreteensarewalking advertisements for the business — they carry colorful duct tape bags and pocketbooks.Eachisdeckedoutinan assortment of rose-shaped rings, thick bracelets and chokers, and Jacey even wears duct tape flip-flops on her feet.

“They have held up surprisingly well,” Moss Haven teacher Kim Aman says.

Earlierintheschoolyear,Aman noticed the flower-shaped pencils the girls were making and selling to friends. She asked them to teach her how to makeone,andshehelpedthemget organized. Following the earthquake in Japan, the club worked overtime, making red roses and bracelets designed to look like the Japanese flag to sell so that they could send money to the disaster relieffund.Theyenlistedthehelpof otherstudents,taughtothershowto make the product, and eventually raised almost $700, which was matched by a neighborhood bank.

“We started selling them for $5, but realized that if we sold them for a couple dollars less, we would sell more,” Jacey says.

Thegirlskeeptrackofsalesand expenditures in a spiral notebook. The Japan project was exciting and felt good, they say.

“It also got us exposure,” says Carly, a budding publicist, no doubt. “We started selling a lot more and had to close down a while because we had so many orders.”

Aside from the Japan funds, 5 Girls has yet to make a profit.

“We use all of our money to buy more duct tape,” Mary notes. Rolls of duct tape sell for $3-$5, if they buy the good stuffandnot“thecheapkindthat melts.”