In an attempt to challenge wasteful "Throwaway Fashion," fashion and engineering students at the UK's Sheffield Hallam University joined forces and took on an iconic one-time wear garment, the Wedding Dress.
By marrying fashion design and technology they were able to create a wedding dress that will dissolve in water to create 5 new garments that the bride can wear for years to come. They were able to accomplish this by weaving polyvinyl alcohol, a water soluble and biodegradable material, into the fabric of the dress.
Fashion Lecturer, Jane Blohm explains:
"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'.
"In order to reduce fashion's impact on the environment, the fashion industry must begin to challenge conventional attitudes and practices. The exhibition demonstrates what could be possible when design and scientific innovation combine forces."
According to a Sheffield Hallam University press release consumers in the UK buy over 2 million tons of clothes each year and approximately 74% of those end up in landfills. I'd be interested to see how many of those are wedding dresses.
While this is an interesting concept I suspect that ultimately this project will not usher in a change in the way brides to be dress. That being said it is useful commentary on the way we consume clothes and will serve as an interesting discussion point about the role of sustainability in fashion and the life cycles of the clothes we wear.