Re-usable wedding dresses feature as part of fashion students’ exhibition
A collection of wedding dresses which can be broken down into new garments has gone on display in Sheffield
A group of student fashion designers at Sheffield Hallam University have been working in-conjunction with engineering students to create a wedding dress which can be broken down and used as 5 other garments.
The idea behind the dress is to challenge society’s addiction to throwaway fashion. As the most symbolic garment a woman will ever own, and also likely to be one of the most expensive items of clothing she will ever buy, it was deemed the ideal example for use in the exhibition.
The seams holding the wedding dresses together have been designed to dissolve when they come into contact to water. The different pieces can then be broken down and used to make another garment. The different stages of the transformation process from fully functioning wedding dress, to new garment are on display as part of the exhibition.
The wedding dresses combine fashion and technology and explore the possibility of using alternative materials for dress making. Textile waste is one of the fastest growing waste groups in the UK and the fashion students hope that their exhibition will make people think about the impact disposable fashion is having on the environment.
The re-useable wedding dress exhibition, A Sustainable Marriage, is on display at the Furnival Building at Arundel Gate.
Bride bags £700 dress for 99p on EBay
The new Mrs Mapletoft with her 99p wedding dress
Bride-to-be Natalie Bellamy made the mistake of falling in love with a £700 dress in her local wedding shop. Although it was beyond doubt, her dream dress, it was also way beyond her budget.
Undeterred in her quest to have the perfect wedding dress, the inventive 30-year old from Somerset turned to EBay to seek out an affordable alternative, and she certainly succeeded. After coming across a wedding tailoring service in Hong Kong and finding a near identical dress, Natalie sent her measurements to the overseas company who set to work on creating her dream dress on the cheap.
After just three weeks, the dress arrived. The overall price of the dress did rise to £87 after adding in the cost of shipping and alterations, but was still an absolute bargain. It also meant the bride saved herself a whopping £613 by opting for the EBay dress as opposed to the original gown from the local shop. The new Mrs Mapletoft said her husband said she looked “absolutely gorgeous” as she walked up the aisle, not bad for a 99p frock.
The mother-of-two revealed she did have her doubts over the scheme to begin with, “I didn’t know what to expect but it fitted perfectly and all the sequins had been hand-sewn. The quality was amazing. My friends couldn’t believe it only cost 99p, they all said I looked stunning.”
Following the success of her EBay dress, the frugal bride also utilised the online site to source other wedding articles such as invitations and decorations. They couple estimated they made an overall saving of £6,000 by shopping around and sniffing out a few bargains on the website.
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