A Miami-based artist is taking the handyman’s secret weapon to the beach.
Joel Alvarez, a photographer-turned-tape-retailer is hoping to make a splash in the fashion world after debuting his risqué creations from his product line at Miami Swim Week on Monday.
Using tape from his brand Black Tape Project, Alvarez’s barely there designs feature his sticky product strategically placed to a cover a model’s body — especially the nipples and the pubic area — with artistic flair.
Black Tape Project creator Joel Alvarez uses pieces of black electric tape to create an artistic fashion look on webcam model London Bunny at the 2018 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 24, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
At the Miami runway show, models wore designs made with his tape in black, red, electric blue, gold and silver.
And it seems his product is getting noticed in the mainstream media with several media outlets report that his “duct-tape” bikinis are the next bizarre summer fashion trend.
According to Black Tape Project’s website, Alvarez came up with the idea 10 years ago when a model suggested he use black electrical tape on her body during a photo shoot.
“The designs were primitive but they were on to something,” the website quotes Alvarez as saying. “They way they would compliment the figure was unlike any wardrobe or fashion out there.”
With a bit more practice, he started showing off his daring designs at Miami nightclubs.
But it wasn’t until he started posting images of his work on Instagram and Facebook, that his tape artistry took off.
While Alvarez’s designs eliminate the chore of washing a dirty swimsuit, removing the body tape could be a real pain the butt.