From what I can tell, paper garments were a stunt. A way for the Scott Paper company to draw some attention to its products in the mid-1960s at a time when young people were known for running giddily from one fashion to another from week to week and tossing out what was no longer the latest fad. In short, when novelty for its own sake was a virtue in fashion. And when a stunt could gain a company more attention than mere advertising could.