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Looking for a prom dress is an exciting moment for most young women. We imagine ourselves in a gorgeous, elegant dress that will make us feel special and incredibly beautiful.
But how can we make the right decision when we know that most prom dresses can cost hundreds of dollars and yet, they are very poorly made?
The environmental impact of prom dresses is huge! Most of them are made using synthetic fabrics, like polyester, and they are produced by fast fashion brands that are not only unsustainable but also very unethical as they only care about profits.
What’s maybe even worse is that most prom dresses are only used once, for a few hours at most. After prom, those dresses are usually stored away in closets for years, not being worn a single time.
Thankfully, we can mitigate the environmental footprint of a prom dress by choosing more eco-friendly options. And doing so is not only better for the planet, but it is also often a lot cheaper. Win-win!
This guide will help you find a more sustainable prom dress in which you will feel amazing without harming the environment!
How to find a sustainable prom dress
Use what you already have
If you already own a formal dress, why not reuse it for prom? We often don’t realize it, but we sometimes already have exactly what we are looking for in our closets.
Have you ever attended a wedding or any other type of formal event? If so, you probably have a beautiful, elegant dress in your wardrobe that you could wear for prom.
Reusing a dress you already bought is not only the easiest option available to you, but it is also the most sustainable since you don’t have to purchase a new dress. Not to mention that prom dresses are expensive, so you will save a lot of money!
If the dress you have is not ideal for prom, you can upcycle it and transform it into the dress of your dreams with a few tweaks. For instance, you could easily dye the dress if you want to change its color, or cut it short if you prefer a shorter version. You can also change its style by adding or removing straps, and incorporating lace or embroidery into the fabric.
Transforming a dress does not have to be complicated if you have some basic sewing skills. But if you are afraid to ruin it, hiring a seamstress might be a great alternative for you!
Borrow your dress
When I was a teenager, I used to always borrow clothes from my mom, and she always loved lending me her precious pieces whenever I needed a specific outfit. And even today, I know that if I ever need something she has, she would happily have me wear it.
Borrowing clothes from relatives or friends is a great way to try new pieces in a sustainable way. But this is especially true for clothes that we wear for one-time events, like prom dresses!
If you have older sisters or friends that are no longer in high school, why don’t you ask them if you could borrow their prom dresses? They might have the exact dress you are looking for!
You could also ask your mom if she kept hers. You never know, but you might end up with a cool, vintage prom dress that will make you stand out from all the other girls!
I find that it makes the whole event even more special if you are wearing a dress that was cherished by someone you love at her prom!
And if the dress is not 100% what you are looking for, they might even allow you to upcycle and transform it so that it can better suit your style!
Find your dress second-hand
If you cannot find a prom dress in your wardrobe and your friends do not have any to lend you, the second-hand market is there for you! There are so many preloved prom dresses out there, and you have a huge variety of styles and colors to choose from!
Since prom dresses are only used once, or at most a couple of times, second-hand prom dresses are usually in excellent condition, with no signs of wear. And you can even find brand new ones (with tags) at a fraction of their original price!
In 2020 and 2021, many high schools canceled their proms, so students were left with their new prom dresses and nowhere to wear them. As a result, many decided to sell them or donate them to charity shops.
So if you are looking for a prom dress, visit your local thrift stores or consignment shops to check if they are selling any.
Online second-hand platforms are another amazing resource to find some great, unique hidden gems. Facebook Marketplace and eBay are two of the most popular, but you can also check Poshmark, thredUP or Depop.
Purchasing a second-hand prom dress is so much cheaper compared to if you bought it new. You can even find models at a tenth of the original price, so you are saving the planet and your wallet at the same time.
You could also join a few “Buy Nothing” groups (on Facebook) in your local area. Some members in these groups may want to donate their used prom dresses to girls who need them. You could be the lucky one, so it is worth trying!
Rent your dress
When we need a new prom dress, we usually think about where we can purchase it from. However, in recent years, a new option has become more and more popular: renting. Yes, you can rent your prom dress!
Renting your dress, instead of buying it, has many benefits! You get to choose from a large selection of dresses, including designer pieces, without having to pay exorbitant prices. You can thus wear a dress that you would have never been able to afford if you bought it new.
The dress is worn by many women, meaning that it was not produced for a single event. It is reused over and over again, which is great for the planet! Renting reduces waste and helps save resources as it does not increase the demand for new dresses to be made.
Most renting services also make sure that the dress is washed before and after each use, so it is not something you need to worry about.
If you think renting is the right option for you, here are a few online websites where you can rent the dress of your dreams:
1) Rent The Runway
Rent The Runway specializes in renting all kinds of clothes, including designer prom dresses. It offers monthly membership plans as well as one-time rentals, perfect for proms! The company sends its clothes in reusable garment bags that are reused for each order, and it offsets 100% of carbon emissions from shipments to and from customers.
2) Lending Luxury
Lending Luxury is your go-to website if you want to rent a dress from a designer. It has a great selection of short and long dresses that you can rent for as little as $50 (dry cleaning is included). And if you want to keep it at the end of your rental, you can purchase it at a discounted price.
3) Armoire
Armoire is a membership-based website specialized in renting all types of clothes, including designer dresses for formal events. You can rent a dress for $69, or less if you choose several models. Armoire’s stylists can assist you in finding the best style for your body type, and the company allows you to keep the item for 30 days.
4) Charlotte’s Closet
If you’re looking for a rental service where you can rent clothing for all special occasions, Charlotte’s Closet is for you. The platform has a great variety of prom dresses that you can rent for five days. You can even request a second size for free to make sure the dress will fit you!
5) Poshare
Poshare is a platform where you can rent or buy designer clothing and accessories. Its prom dresses are available in most sizes, colors and styles. The website has dresses to rent for all budgets, starting at $40, ideal for those who do not want to break the bank.
Purchase from sustainable brands
If none of the mentioned options are right for you and you need to purchase a brand new dress, you can still do it in a sustainable way. You can choose to support ethical and eco-friendly brands that sell high-quality dresses.
What makes a new prom dress sustainable?
A sustainable prom dress is designed to last, and you should be able to wear it many times and for many years. Having a dress for a one-time event is very unsustainable, so the best thing you can do is choose a dress that you will not only be able to wear to prom, but also to other formal events.
An eco-friendly prom dress is made by a conscious brand that ensures its workers are paid fairly and treated humanely, and that they work in safe conditions. It should also be produced using sustainable materials such as organic cotton or Tencel.
Finally, an eco-friendly prom dress is usually not made using glitter and sequins, as these often fall off the fabric and end up in the environment.
5 sustainable brands that sell beautiful prom dresses
1) Bastet Noir
Bastet Noir is a sustainable brand that creates made-to-order clothing to make sure its pieces fit its clients perfectly.
The company creates beautiful, elegant dresses made out of discarded materials like silk and cotton. Each piece features cool details that make them even more unique and luxurious. Whether you prefer a mermaid-style silhouette or a more flowy look, Bastet Noir has you covered!
You will love that the brand always discloses how much time was needed to make the dress and the detailed costs of each step of the production process!
Bastet Noir’s dresses are produced in Macedonia by a community of single mothers. The brand reinvests its profits to help these women grow their businesses and fund the education of their children.
2) Whimsy & Row
Founded in 2014, Whimsy & Row is a lifestyle brand creating clothing, accessories and home goods for eco-conscious women.
The company has a few models of long, elegant dresses that could be worn to prom. They are all made from a blend of Tencel and cupro, making them look and feel like silk. Hypoallergenic and thermo-regulating, this cool fabric is made in a closed-loop system using cotton fibers that are usually thrown away.
The brand produces its products with only upcycled, locally sourced and low-impact materials.
They are all made within a few miles from the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles, which minimizes their carbon footprint.
Whimsy & Row dyes its clothing with low-impact dyes and produces it in limited quantities to avoid unnecessary waste.
3) Transcend
Inspired by the colors and textures of India’s shopping bazaars, Transcend’s dresses and separates are handmade and embroidered by artisans out of eco-conscious fabrics like organic cotton and linen.
Founder and Designer Nazia Siddiqui wanted to make high-quality embroidery and prints accessible to women through timeless silhouettes.
These pieces are designed to last, with an incredible attention to detail—one dress can take up to 70 hours to make!
4) Reformation
Reformation specializes in selling sustainably-made clothing and shoes for women. The brand creates dresses for pretty much any special occasion, including weddings and proms.
It has many styles of maxi dresses that would all be ideal for prom-goers. Most dresses are designed in different colors and patterns, and some feature beautiful flowery styles making them very feminine.
Reformation’s dresses are produced using materials such as silk, Tencel, viscose, and organic cotton.
For most pieces, you get to see how much water was saved and how many carbon emissions were avoided during the production process.
Reformation is climate-neutral certified, and it is a member of Textile Exchange, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Fair Labor Association.
Final Thoughts
Buying a new dress for a one-time event is very unsustainable, as it will be used once and probably never again. But thankfully, it is possible to be more eco-friendly when looking for a prom dress.
From borrowing a dress or reusing one we already have, to renting or buying it second-hand or from sustainable brands, there are many options available to us!
However, if we decide to buy a prom dress, we should always try to give it a new life after prom to minimize its environmental impact. It would be such a shame to let it collect dust in our closets and get damaged over time.
I think it is important to have a plan and know what to do with the dress afterward. For instance, you could probably reuse the dress for future formal events and special occasions such as weddings, parties or date nights.
Reselling your prom dress online is another great option to make sure it will get reused. You can also pass it along to other women or to organizations that collect dresses for girls who might not be able to afford them otherwise.
Being mindful of how you purchase your dress and how you will use or get rid of it afterward is essential for eco-conscious prom-goers!
About the Author
Eva Astoul is a French freelance writer, specializing in content related to sustainability, simple living, and a growth-focused healthy lifestyle. She runs her own blog, Green With Less, to inspire people to live a more minimalist and sustainable life.
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