You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t care about the environment these days, but few of us consider the environmental impact of our weddings. And let’s be honest – if we do, a lot of us think “It’s one day, stuff it” and move on. But it’s increasingly common for couples to want their wedding day to reflect their values, including their environmental ethics, and that’s where things can get tricky.
Wedding dresses fly all over the world to make their way up the aisle, and even the materials that go into them can be a concern for some brides – unethically traded fabrics, chemical dyes, and even silk itself can give the eco-concious bride pause.
A whole crop of enterprising wedding vendors have sprung up to meet the needs of this emerging bridal market. One of these is designer Deborah Lindquist, who has crafted a collection of stunning, unusual and environmentally friendly couture wedding gowns.
Her designs are created using a combination of “recycled cashmere, repurposed kimonos and saris, vintage silk scarves, and sustainable materials such as hemp, organic cotton and organic wool.”
As with the vintage lace in this dress, Deborah re-purposes a lot of existing materials for her designs. Obviously, this has a tiny production footprint and has become very, very trendy; you can use your mother’s wedding dress, a thrifted gown or virtually any other fabric in a process know as “upcycling” – a nod to upcycling’s environmentally friendly cousin, recycling.
