SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom — A dress designed in collaboration between fashion and engineering students leads to a greener gown for (indoor) nuptials.
Students at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom have created five dresses that dissolve in water as a way of highlighting the issue of clothing waste in the U.K. -- where 1.5 million metric tons of clothes end up in landfills every year.
Each of the five dresses, pictured below, represents a step in the transformation of the garment from clothing to nothing.
"The students wanted to challenge the notion that a wedding dress should only be used once and aimed to explore modern society's attitudes towards throwaway fashion," said Jane Blohm, a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam, in a statement. "The project is a union between art and technology which explores the possibilities of using alternative materials for our clothing. The wedding gown is perhaps one of the most iconic and symbolic garments in humanity's wardrobe and represents the challenges of 'throwaway fashion.'"
Some companies have made strides with recycling and upcycling materials into clothing, including Hanes' work in turning old cotton into new socks and turning plastic bottles into fleece, and Patagonia's Common Threads Garment Recycling Program, which has set a goal of making all of the company's products recyclable by the end of this year.
But the clothing retail industry has seen a boom in recent years with the rise of low-cost shops like H&M in the U.K. and U.S., which has driven clothing costs down by 25 percent, according to Blohm. The result is a huge spike in clothing sent to landfill and immense amounts of wasted resources.
"In order to reduce fashion's impact on the environment, the fashion industry must begin to challenge conventional attitudes and practices," Blohm said. "The exhibition demonstrates what could be possible when design and scientific innovation combine forces."
Top photo CC-licensed by Olivier Martins; wedding dresses photo courtesy of University of Sheffield.
I read this and thought these
I read this and thought these students are challenging us to think about how we use our resources. A dress which dissolves solves nothing. Still this might also be used as a metaphor for the state of marriage.
My sister in law had her wedding dress designed to be her signature dress afterwards. I have never had reason to wish my wife had copied her but she did buy the dress second hand. After all the effort that the seamstress put into making that lovely dress why have it trashed by making it dissolve? We even have a charity shop in our city which specialises in wedding/prom clothing.
This is a great concept for
This is a great concept for reducing the amount of materials that end up in landfills, which ultimately reduces the negative effects on the environment. Organizations around the world will drive sustainability by following the examples of companies such as Hanes and reusing their waste materials.
There are a lot of “throwaway” products disregarded everyday by not only consumers but businesses as well. Often recyclables are thrown away because the end user is not easily accessible. Exchangebase.com connects suppliers of waste with buyers and vendors worldwide who can take materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill and divert them when possible. It’s great to see companies like Hanes and Pantagonia using old materials and making them new again.
Interesting idea, but I doubt
Interesting idea, but I doubt it will take hold. Maybe more focuse needs to be put on donating used clothing to those in need instead of throwing it away. I would say this would a much more viable solution to the problem than a paper wedding dress.
This is a great idea.......
This is a great idea....... but you know folks are gonna show up with cups/buckets of water for the bride........ could be a hilarious disaster LOL!!!! Walk down the isle in a dress and naked by "i do" !!!!! HAHAHAHAHA I can just see it now! LOL Dear America's Funniest Home People..... Get Ready!
Fantastic idea, but as a
Fantastic idea, but as a wedding photographer who often sees rain on the wedding day, I am left to wonder how many brides want to take the risk of showing up to their ceremony in their underwear because their dress has dissolved.
I think this is a fantastic
I think this is a fantastic statement concept, but I just thought: what if people decided to mass produce this type of garment? Would that not be just as much of a waste of resources? Again, just a hypothetical.