Living Sustainably? You can Still Have your dream dress!

With studies saying that 77% of people are wanting, and trying to be more sustainable, saying “Yes” to your dream wedding dress does not mean having to turn your back on your eco and ethical principles.

We have been living in a society for far to long where you can buy a T-shirt for less than a sandwich, where we are buying items of clothing to just wear once. Sustainable fashion is based on wearing your clothes over and over again  - at least 30 times - and investing in timeless pieces that will form a staple part of your wardrobe.

It takes 2700 litres of water to make 1 t-shirt

Being aware of all of this, it probably feels that finding a sustainable wedding dress isn’t actually achievable. Especially if you have gone as far as ensuring your day is plastic free, that the food is organic, your guests have been transported en masse rather than use cars, you have booked your honeymoon at an eco resort and have off set the carbon on the flights. It then seems counter productive not to buy your wedding dress with the same care and consideration. Finally to add to the unsustainable wear it once nature of wedding dresses the fabrics used in the dress pose as many if not more problems for those wanting to consider the environment.

Dependent on what article you are reading, some say the cost of weddings has been raised, some say they have reduced. In 2017 it was reported in one article that the average cost of a wedding dress has dropped to just £832 down from £1132 (remember this is just an average), at the same time big warehouse bridal stores with their mass produced fast fashion with prices from £99 - £699 had appeared on the high street, and online retailers started providing their own lines of bridal wear. Using statements such as designed in the UK and British design teams falsely leading people into thinking that they are also made in the UK. With their huge buying power they are able to leverage economies of scale by buying in bulk, reducing the cost to the consumer but not the impact on the planet.

With fast, cheap fashion, someone, somewhere is paying.

Sustainability and ethical practices are really important for me not just as an individual but also for our business. We open only by appointment, so we are not making unnecessary journeys or using electricity when we don’t need to. Our gift bags are paper and we don’t use unnecessary plastic bags to store dresses in. With over 50% of our products are handmade in the UK, with a lower carbon footprint and we feel that we are beginning to lead the way in offering sustainable bridal wear to everyone.

We are proud stockists of UK Designers - Rolling in Roses and Jessica Turner Designs. I am delighted to be able to work with people whose own beliefs match my own. Both Jess and Hayley operate ethically in the UK, hand making all of their gowns on a small scale offering high quality dresses with the ability to make adaptations to their designs to enable your dress to be as unique as you.

They use fabrics that are not only sustainable, but have also been ethically produced. With fabric options that include organic plant based fabrics such as bamboo, cotton and Tencel to natural luxury fibres such as silk and peace silk.

In January 20 we were also thrilled to announce that another of our designers Jesus Peiro had introduced a new Eco fabric to their current collection. The introduction a Mikado taffeta made entirely out of recycled plastic bottles for me is a game changer, as every dress at Jesus Peiro is truly made to order and the material for each dress is cut by hand.  Meaning that brides can choose to have almost any of their dresses in this eco fabric.

Many brides still choose to keep their dresses as a memory of their special day and to share with future generations; another growing trend is a ‘trash the dress’ photo shoot. Giving the dress a second but ultimately final outing. But why stop there?

With more and more brides choosing to shop sustainably, many brides are now choosing dresses or separates that can be worn time and time again. Or are choosing dresses that with some simple alterations, or completely up cycling the fabric they can create christening gowns, tops, skirts and dresses, so that many more memories can be made for years to come.

Ultimately, we accept that the only way to purchase a truly green and sustainable wedding dress is not to buy new, and instead go with vintage or second hand. We are always happy to sell our samples of the rail, so whilst not NEW new, they are still practically perfect and have only ever been tried on in the boutique. However, we also accept that for many brides to be that this is not an option that they want to explore, many want to be the first person to wear their dress. So we will continue as one of Wiltshire’s leading sustainable bridal retailers, to offer a products and services that help brides who don’t want their wedding to literally ‘cost the earth’.