The Story Behind Miss Thailand's Soda Tab Dress at Miss Universe

Miss Thailand Wears Soda Tab Dress at Miss Universe as a Tribute to Her Garbage Collector Parents

By Regina Sienra on January 16, 2023

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Universe Thailand (@missuniverse.in.th)

For some people, paying tribute to those who supported them on the way to success is a must; that's why we get moving speeches on award ceremonies and epigraphs on books. A Miss Universe contestant chose to honor her upbringing in a unique way. For the evening-gown round of the pageant, Anna Sueangam-iam, Miss Thailand, wore a dress made out of soda tabs as a nod to her parents—her father is a garbage collector and her mother works as a street sweeper in Bangkok.

The upcycled dress, aptly named Hidden Precious Diamond Dress, was designed by the Thailand-based fashion brand Manirat and brings together the aluminium pull-tabs of soda cans with Swarovski crystals. The powerful message of her dress made waves even before the pageant, and so far, the picture of her dress has earned over 230,000 likes on Instagram.

“This gown was inspired by the familiar surroundings of my childhood,” Sueangam-iam wrote on Instagram. “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.”

Born and raised in a slum in Bangkok, Sueangam-iam was sent to a Buddhist temple, where she grew up surrounded by nuns and most of her diet consisted of the monk's leftovers. As for her education, she realized from an early age that there was a gap between her and the other kids. According to her Miss Universe bio, she had to collect merit points, donate blood, collect plastic waste bottles, and clean public restrooms to cover the costs of tuition. Her life story has inspired her to work at nonprofit organizations in order to provide children with access to educational systems, regardless of their economic status.

“Persistence, tenaciousness and optimism within her have led her to a great success in life,” the Miss Universe Thailand organization on wrote about the inspiring dress. “Although she was called by some as ‘The garbage beauty queen,' that never stops her from shining bright as a precious gem.”

Though Sueangam-iam didn't make it to the Top 16, she did receive the Social Impact Award, which includes a cash prize that will further her efforts of equal access to education and help children from underprivileged backgrounds in her native Thailand. To learn more about her work, you can follow Sueangam-iam on Instagram.