From eco-friendly brands to vintage or second-hand dresses, here’s everything you need to know about buying a sustainable wedding dress.
Brands To Know
Designers such as Stella McCartney and Gabriela Hearst — known for their sustainable practices — are obvious places to start your wedding dress hunt. Still, it’s also worth trying Maggie Marilyn, Mother of Pearl, and Reformation if you’re looking for a more relaxed option. Going for a style you can wear again and again will only boost the dress’s sustainability credentials.
Vintage & Pre-Owned
By wearing vintage on your wedding day, you’re extending the life of a pre-existing dress and likely to be a one-of-a-kind piece, making it an extra special choice. “It’s about customers wanting to make more meaningful purchases and wearing something unique, something with a story on their special day,” explains Marie Blanchet, founder and CEO of Mon Vintage. With so much choice out there, it helps to narrow down what you’re looking for. According to Blanchet, styles from the 1960s are trending, while other brides opt for old-school Hollywood glamour from the 1930s and 1940s. Look for a vintage specialist who will tailor the pieces to your measurements, advise the expert, and add that buying a piece that’s too big or too small is better. If you’re looking for a modern pre-owned option, try bridal-specific marketplaces and resale sites like The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective. There, you’ll find gowns by the likes of Carolina Herrera and Emilia Wickstead, all for a fraction of the price of a brand-new wedding dress.
Renting A Dress
With rental fashion on the rise in recent years, it’s no surprise that more brides are considering renting a dress as their ‘something borrowed’.“It makes so much sense to rent if it’s just for that one day,” says Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder and CEO of rental app By Rotation, which now sees past brides loaning out their wedding dresses. If you can’t find your dream dress to rent, it’s worth considering borrowing your wedding day accessories instead — whether that’s a Simone Rocha handbag or a pair of Miu Miu's to finish off your look.
Upcycling Your Wedding Dress
While wedding dresses typically end up in a box at the back of people’s wardrobes, many brides are now contemplating how to give their gowns a second life. Bridal designer Alice Temperley has shown how to dye her dresses using natural materials. Rising brands such as Wed Studio and Tess van Zalinge are turning old pieces into modern separates that can be worn daily. Ultimately, it’s about reducing waste as much as possible. As Van Zalinge explains, “You could buy a dress that you’re going to wear for just one day, but you have to think about what you could do with it afterwards.”
- Bella Alexander