Image by Pearl Button Bridal
Today is one of the biggest days in the world of fashion. Today marks five years since the Rana Plaza collapsed, leaving 1,138 people dead, and over 2,500 injured. Today is a day to reflect on the fashion industry, it’s successes and pitfalls. Today will bring positive change and revelation. Today, we talk about how your fashion decisions at your wedding can make a difference. Today is a fashion revolution.
From your wedding dress, to the mother-of-the-bride’s attire, it’s well known, that garments worn to weddings, are generally worn once. This is the epitome of fast fashion, and the result of a harsh culture we’ve built, which says we can’t look good in something twice, and must have something different for each special occasion. On top of this, due to our need for something new so often, we spread our budget across each outfit. We indulge in sales, and buy cheap clothes that don’t last, but look good, each with the story behind them of a seamstress who wasn’t paid enough to feed her family. This isn’t good enough. With so many options now out there, which allow you to look good, but do good by the planet too, choosing eco-options for your wedding attire isn’t hard. We’ve even done all the research for you!
Lenka was the first Australian bridal designer to gain Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation. “I believe in embracing individuality and creating conscious beauty that inspires positive change for people and planet.” Lenka works with you to create a wedding dress, suit, two piece, or anything in between, that is unapologetically you. Using recycled, vintage, sustainably sourced, and natural materials, Lenka aims for zero waste garments which leave the planet unscathed, and you looking drop dead gorgeous.
Using natural fibres, silks, wools, and cottons, Pearl Button are all about sustainability, durability, and leaving a small footprint on the planet. Their south coast Australian workshop is run off solar power, where the dresses are made from start to finish. All Pearl Button’s offcuts are up-cycled and sent to florists and artists to use in other ways. Dinah is also the second Australian wedding designer to gain ECA accreditation (and we’re blessed to have both industry leaders on our eco-ethical wedding directory!).
“There are no sweatshops or other dirty little secrets hidden behind our collection.” Lost in Paris unearth the most beautiful laces from antique markets in Paris, to design and make the dress of your dreams. Especially for the bohemian gal, or eco-conscious hippy, Lost in Paris dresses are handmade in their Sydney atelier.
A wedding dress is possibly the most expense thing you’ll ever buy, but also the thing you’ll wear the least! How ironic. The Bare Faced Bride addressed this issue, by creating a specialized consignment store in south Sydney, generally selling off-the-rack designer gowns, and authentic vintage dresses.
This Melbourne bridal boutique offers dresses to eco-brides and last minute brides, either upcycled, pre-loved, or second-hand designer dresses. You can book an appointment online for a styling session or fitting, and to meet the friendly team.
Second-hand shopping:
Following in the footsteps of Vinnie’s stylist, Faye Delanty, it’s super easy to deck your mother-of-the-bride, bridesmaids, and groomsmen, with pre-loved fashion. Make a day of it and visit your local second-hand shops together. You may want to pick out a theme, or style, or simply let your loved ones choose what they feel best in. This will cut your budget down dramatically, and mean they are more likely to wear the garment afterwards too!
Rent ~ Wear ~ Return. At Glam Corner, you can browse through over 5,000 dresses online, rent, and return. With so much waste in the wedding industry, and a very small chance you’ll wear your wedding dress or bridesmaid dresses again, Glam Corner makes sense financially and sustainably. They even take care of the dry cleaning!
TAMGA have such a stunning array of dresses, we’ve had our eyes set on TAMGA bridesmaid dresses from the very beginning. The dresses are 100% micro tencel, meaning they are sustainable, and so soft and flowy. All TAMGA products are ethically made in Bali, and come in different prints and colours too. Imagine the Kezia dress in both colours, or the Annisa dress for a beachy wedding too.
Writer, Kate Hall, in the Kezia Dress. Image by Nectar Photography
“The Indigo Room believes in a world where clothing not only empowers the wearer, but everyone she passes.” This Brisbane based textile print design studio, is the dream collaborator for the artsy bride. You can work with Lauren, founder, to create couture fabrics for your bridesmaids, or even funky suits for the groomsmen and groom. If you’re thinking white is super old fashioned, why not custom make your wedding dress fabric too?
Citizens Mark asked questions of the fashion industry, that have never really been asked before: “Why is navy a fundamentally male colour? Why do men own the idea of pants? Why is the idea of straight lines and right angles that make a wearer look grounded and reliable – why is that fundamentally male? With this questioning in mind, they’ve designed and produced the world’s most flattering, ethical, and sexy suits. The suits are inspired by Scandinavian minimalism, and Swiss precision, and made from natural materials (instead of stuffy polyester).
Handmade. Fair trade. Eco-friendly. The way all wedding dresses SHOULD be. Their dresses range in styles, and you can even arrange to try them on through their well curated systems. To top it off, with every dress sold, a school uniform is donated to a child in need in Cambodia. Celia-Grace let you meet your dressmaker through detailed descriptions of each person on their website. This is a special moment for brides who want to ask “who made my clothes” and get a detailed reply back!
Written by Kate Hall (pictured above in her Celia Grace wedding dress), for Less Stuff – More Meaning.
Would you like to learn more about infusing the eco-ethical love into your wedding? Then grab our time and sanity saving, affirming and empowering Mindfully Wed E-Guide.
