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.