Miss Thailand Wore A Dress Made Out Of Soda Tabs At Miss Universe Pageant. Here's Why

The 71st edition of the Miss Universe pageant kicked off this week — and one contestant is already making headlines. Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam wowed the crowd with a dress made of soda tabs, which she wore during the evening gown round.

During the Miss Universe 2022 preliminary competition, Thailand’s Sueangam-iam won everyone’s hearts and attention as she wore an upcycled dress made using pull-tabs of drink cans as a tribute to her garbage collector parents.

Miss Thailand dress

The ensemble — which was designed by the brand Manirat and is known as the "Hidden Precious Diamond Dress" — combines the aluminium pull-tabs of soda cans with Swarovski crystals.

However, there's also a hidden meaning in the dress for the soda tabs pay tribute to Sueangam-iam's upbringing.

“You must not get stuck with murky surroundings you were born into, but do believe you have the power to change your own life for the better,” Anna, Miss Universe Thailand 2022, said, reflecting on her background.

She added that the gown was inspired by the familiar surroundings of her childhood. “Growing up with garbage collector parents, my life as a child was among piles of garbage and recyclables. This unique gown was purposefully tailored-made with discarded and recycled materials, namely the ‘Can Tab’ to present to the UNIVERSE that what’s considered worthless by many actually possesses its own value and beauty,” she wrote on Instagram.

"Although she was called by some as 'the garbage beauty queen,' that never stopped her from shining bright as a precious gem," read the caption on the Miss Thailand Instagram page.

The designer said that he wanted to use materials from leftovers such as ‘can caps’ to create a work “that tells and reflects the whole world that things that people think are worthless or dirty can be turned into something valuable and beautiful”.

The 71st Miss Universe is all set to be crowned on January 14 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Divita Rai? India’s Representative In Miss Universe Pageant