Student Stefanie Fuoco, left, and designer Linda Summersgill work with Stefanie's project that she felted herself from raw wool at the University of Arts Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students at the University of Arts are teaming with the Philadelphia Flower Show designers to mesh the art of flowers and wearable fashion.

PHILADELPHIA - Sometimes an unexpected pairing can send the creative process into overdrive, resulting in beautiful art.

Who would think, for example, that a dress constructed of tea bags could inspire a show-worthy floral design?

But that’s the chance the Philadelphia Flower Show and the University of the Arts are taking in their latest collaboration.

Over the next four weeks, floral designers will work with students in the school’s fiber arts program to translate costumes made with recyclable materials into 16 displays for the show.

The exercise was designed to stir creativity for the artists in both media. The only other restriction on the students was that the costumes had to fit the ‘‘Jazz It Up’’ theme chosen for this year’s Flower Show, which opens to the public on March 2 and runs through March 9.

‘‘We wanted the students to really challenge themselves and do something over the top,’’ says Francesca Northrup, chair of competitive classes for the Flower Show. ‘‘We wanted them to stretch their imaginations with recycled materials so this would be a real challenge for our floral designers.’’

Students from the University of the Arts’ fiber arts classes saw the assignment as a way to manipulate hard-to-use materials such as foam rubber around body forms. The project was extra difficult because these students, save one, considered themselves sculptors rather than fashion designers.

Many of the pieces were variations on the fringed flapper dresses popular in the 1920s. Because of their materials, though, very few would translate into real-world fashion.

The oddest piece was a tiered Josephine Baker-style dress, with headdress, fashioned from layers of polyfoam caulk used primarily for home insulation.

The most wearable piece was a shiny, patent-leather-like black shift made from film reels. ‘‘I like the way my dress sounds,’’ said creator Kit Fraser, 26, who also made a pocketbook and headband. ‘‘I wanted to make something that made people feel like dancing.’’

The students competed against one another in class under the direction of professor Mi-Kyoung Lee. The winners were paired with the floral designers, who, in turn, hope their work with the students will make them winners at the Flower Show.

Recently, the students, most of whom are stylishly eccentric - think multicolored hair, black leather, clunky Moon Boots - met with their conservatively cardigan-wearing flower designers for the first time. Until that moment, the floral designers had seen only pictures of the pieces they were randomly assigned.

Despite the generation gap, everyone seemed to hit it off.

As the students explained their artistic visions, one could almost see the wheels turning in the designers’ heads: What kind of flowers would they use? What kinds of flowers would be available? How much of the design would they construct at home? Would they buy the flowers from a florist or a supermarket?

With their costumes on hand, many of the students, such as Megan Frisch, 21 - who constructed her floor-length gown from orange fencing - pointed out to their partners what they hoped would inspire them.

‘‘It’s the texture,’’ Frisch said, referring to her piece, which she said she wanted to resemble fallen leaves. ‘‘And there is lots of spacing in my garment.’’

Her partner, Margaret Halbe, nodded in agreement.

‘‘I’m thinking of a brilliant purple or gold,’’ Halbe said, musing on flowers she would choose. ‘‘I’m really excited. I’m working it out in my mind how this is all going to look.’’