Ethical Fashion for Summer Wedding Guests
Discover the brands offering beautiful and ethical occasion wear for this year’s wedding season.
In today’s article, DELAH explains the wardrobe dilemma a busy summer wedding season brings, and helps you navigate the steps to making conscious consumer fashion choices, drawing inspiration from Sarah Lazarovic’s ‘Buyerarchy of Needs’ - a playful take on Maslow’s famous hierarchy.
* Gold stars if you can name every cult classic referenced in this article… apologies in advance for the irony *
I don’t know about you but I’m at a stage in my life (mid-twenties) where I am surrounded by two types of people.
Those who are single, living in flat shares, onto their fourth job in five years, and likely still going out till 2 am most Thursday nights, always on Saturdays, and sometimes even a Friday - if they can handle it. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, some are nicely settled into relationships of anywhere between two to five years, have stable jobs, possibly already on the property ladder, spend their weekends at National Trusts, and are maybe thinking of children, or at least a second dog.
What this has meant for me, however, is that I am now entering my first-ever wedding season! I have two friends’ weddings; one in May, this week, in the beautiful cobbled streets of Oxford, and another in July, in the Leicestershire countryside. (I also have a very exciting one to prepare for next April that will be on safari in South Africa!)
Despite truly immense excitement for all three weddings, I am not very well-versed in how weddings are run, having only attended my sisters when I was just 18. I’m lost around wedding etiquette, and how to respect the bride and groom through gifts, or even when the best time is to say hello on the day. To add to the wedding inexperience, I am also slightly panicked by the thought of investing in three separate outfits, given all three weddings have entirely different settings, dress codes, and activities attached to them.
For instance, consider the Oxford wedding. At some point between the ceremony and the reception, we will be transported by boat - possibly in the style of the traditional Oxford punting boat - so I’ll need to ensure full coverage, to avoid flashing any guests… however, it mustn't then be too long a dress, in case it gets caught in any heels... therefore, I also need to make sure my heels are manageable on all terrain, be it cobbled streets or slippery decks.
(Let’s be honest, the main objective is to not end up in the river itself. I’m already wincing at the thought, and the sniggering remarks from other guests, “Ha… amateur. I remember my first wedding”.)
Of course, we encourage you to shamelessly re-wear your wedding attire where appropriate, but in my case, and I’m sure many of yours, it just won’t always work.
In light of my struggles, and with so much to consider, I have done the research and have decided to make recommendations based on what I do know, and have found in my preparation to be most useful for occasion wear shopping. So, taking inspiration from Sarah Lazarovic’s ‘Buyerarchy of Needs’, here are some thoughtful and practical tips to help you find the perfect wedding outfit without compromising on style or ethics…
Wear what you have already.
The beauty of investing in timeless, durable pieces is that you likely already have a collection of interchangeable outfits cosied into your wardrobe. As much as we advise against trends, such as the recently even shorter than usually lived “mob wife”, and “tomato girl” trends, we are in fact thrilled about the “capsule wardrobe” which seems to have maintained a longer shelf life.
We are advocates for it. The capsule wardrobe celebrates a minimalist collection of clothes that can be mixed and matched to create various outfits for different occasions. Unlike Cher, the aim is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing. It’s no wonder it has lasted longer than most other trends - we suspect consumers are quite frankly, exhausted.
So, why not experiment with your wardrobe? What’s an outfit you can accessorise appropriately for the occasion?
If you’re struggling with where to start, I always find great inspiration from Trinny Woodall’s Instagram tutorials. As a fashion and beauty guru, who does perhaps conflictingly have an absolutely huge collection of clothes, she does express the importance of interchangeable outfits and investing in quality pieces to last a lifetime; something we should all learn to live by.
Borrow or rent your outfit.
Ok, so now you’re experiencing in real life that scene in Sex in the City when Carrie Bradshaw has exhausted every avenue of her wardrobe and still has nothing to wear. I feel you, we’ve all been there. It’s time to phone a friend.
I personally share a wardrobe with my mother and sister. We’re all roughly between a size 8 to 12 in various outfits, and when it comes to dresses and jumpsuits, we know that each of us only needs some sort of belt to transform the outfit to give us the best, most flattering shape.
If you’re not as lucky to have family or friends willing to share their wardrobe - and we totally understand that; some pieces are more precious than others to be able to share - then your next port of call is to rent your outfit.
There are so many fashion rental platforms now, that you’re bound to find somewhere UK-based who can offer you what you want and need based on your terms. Prices range depending on whether you’re renting high street or designer, but here are a few we’d suggest specifically for occasion wear:
After all, if you’re going to submit to the wear-once culture, at least make it returnable!
Buy second-hand.
You may find that there are some disadvantages to the last recommendation. You’re either too wild at parties to be trusted with a borrowed or rented outfit, or renting occasion wear is just a little out of budget, mainly due to a market focus on designer pieces. Depending on the occasion, you might not be so willing to pay a premium for something you’ll wear just once unless you’re looking to rent a show-stopping outfit, - hopefully not, except if you’re looking for a fight with the bride - you might prefer to spend the same amount on an item you can keep.
A highly effective middle ground to finding quality garments at a more affordable price is to shop preloved. Your local high street charity shop may require a keen yet patient eye for quality amongst the often dominating fast-fashion filled racks, but you could just find a bargain and some shops separate the designer labels from the high street brands.
Charity shops are becoming increasingly well-curated. When I lived in southwest London, I was particularly impressed by the Save The Children store on Clapham High Street. Their dressing room felt like stepping into a disco ball, really enhancing the fact I was trying on an electric blue cocktail dress. I walked out of their store so proudly, having spent just £15, with the dress folded neatly in my handbag and the most adorable pug salt and pepper shakers you have ever seen - some of my best purchases to date.
Oxfam in Notting Hill also has an eclectic collection of clothes and accessories. It could easily be mistaken for a boutique.
But if you loathe facing the high street and prefer to shop from the comfort of your own home, there is an abundance of online preloved platforms to choose from, to suit your budget. Based on our personal experience, here’s who we would recommend:
Buy ethical.
So you’re a week away from the wedding and you’re facing a serious case of bad luck on the outfit front. Your existing wardrobe is making you cry, your friend’s clothes don’t fit you, the dress you wanted from HURR Collective isn’t in your size, you’ve exhausted all charity shops within your reach, and the preloved sites are just not hitting right. You’ve tried your best.
It’s ok, all hope is not lost. As a conscious consumer, you simply need to focus now on shopping responsibly and choosing ethically made clothing from ethical brands. When modern fashion isn’t sustainable, the next best thing is to make sure it’s responsible.
The industry is regularly bashed for their mistreatment of garment workers and their manufacturing processes. Their frequent disregard for best practice chemical management, and their contribution to microplastic pollution, not to mention, the fashion industry being the second-largest consumer of water worldwide, has not gone unnoticed by the media or consumers.
Whilst we as consumers are demanding more responsibility and transparency from the industry, we do have purchasing power, meaning we choose who we give our custom to.
So without going into too much detail here, as sustainability in fashion is such a broad and complex topic worthy of in-depth critique in future DELAH articles, we would like to shed some light on the brands for occasion wear that we love and who are doing their best for people and planet at present.
Here are DELAH’s Go-to Brands for Occasion Wear:
Luxury Brands
Stella McCartney - a blueprint for sustainable luxury fashion. Founded in 2001, the label has always prioritised alternative materials, including faux leather, organic cotton, upcycled faux furs, and recycled polyester. Recently gaining media attention after the founder visited COP28, Stella McCartney stands for change. Anna Wintour, Global Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast once said, “It was impossible for fashion to think of luxury and sustainability in the same breath before Stella changed that”.
Vivienne Westwood - the legendary British label, stands by its’ motion to “buy less, choose well, make it last”. Known for its edgy, DIY style, the brand is built on repurposing materials. Its most recent ready-to-wear collections have been made from over 90% lower-impact materials, including organic cotton, ethically produced wool and recycled metals.
Reformation - Founded as a reaction to the appalling realities of factory worker treatment in China in 2009, this brand has always held ethical practices at its core. Considered a more affordable, luxury brand, the label has been criticised based on an impressive growth in sales year-on-year, and whether it can maintain its climate targets while doing so. Despite scrutiny, their efforts are applaudable, as they endorse US legislation that would require more transparency in fashion supply chains, and ultimately, advocate for widespread change.
More Affordable Brands
Aspiga - With 97.8% of their most recent collection made from responsibly sourced natural fabrics and recycled synthetics, the UK brand has also ditched plastic packaging. Its clothing now comes in garment bags made from 100% compostable cornstarch.
OMNES - Perfect for occasion wear, OMNES dresses utilise recycled polyester, and feature a 100% mono-material design for simplified recycling at the end of their lifecycle. This is a brand focusing on every detail of the process, including the inner garment labels crafted from recycled plastic bottles. The London-based brand also uses deadstock fabric and guarantees a living wage across its supply chain.
Nobody’s Child - The London label has recently launched Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for their ‘Happy Place by Fearne Cotton’ collection and plans to incorporate DPPs in every collection moving forward, including AW24. By scanning a QR code on the care label, customers can access information on the materials used, the manufacturing process and the environmental impact of their purchase, while links to circular services such as repair and rental are also included.
Baukjen - Advocating for multipurpose garments, Baukjen fits the criteria with classic and contemporary dresses suitable for the more casual summer wedding. A certified B-Corp, the UNFCCC has named them an “industry leader for their innovative circular and sustainability model”. They exhibit a pre-loved section on their website, as well as a collection of plant-based laundry products that work to catch microfibres.
I hope you enjoyed this step-by-step guide to ethical fashion consumption, and we’d love to hear from you about the ethical brands you love, and how you have made your conscious choices this wedding season.
Oh, and if you were stuck for any of the film and TV references: 27 Dresses, Clueless, Sex in the City, The Devil Wears Prada, and Pretty Woman.
Stay tuned for a more in-depth investigation into the modern fashion industry landscape, what to avoid, and what to look for when conducting your own research into the brands you love.
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