Dive Brief:
- A recent survey found that 42% of brides are considering eco-friendly options, according to a report by Azazie, a DTC wedding apparel and accessories company.
- The Aisle Report Q2 2023 also found that 83% of brides are wearing the same dress for both the ceremony and reception, up from 59% Azazie’s Q2 2022.
- However, among brides who chose a separate wedding gown for their ceremony, 86% said they would not re-wear the dress for any additional events, suggesting that single-use clothing was still the backbone of the bridal gown market.
Dive Insight:
Data for the Azazie report was collected between April and June 2023 via a series of trend-based poll questions the company asks its followers and customers on a quarterly basis. The results were gathered from 32,828 consumers.
"We like to be educated and informed with what our customers want and be at the forefront of trends in order to deliver with our products and services,” Keily Hernandez, senior marketing manager at Azazie, said in an email to Fashion Dive. “The report is a way to showcase how trends in the industry change.”
A host of bridal fashion brands now offer sustainable bridal wear and say many of their customers are more conscientious about how and where a garment is made. Some of those brands include David’s Bridal, Reformation, Bastet Noir, Grace Loves Lace, Dôen, Jenny Yoo and Pure Magnolia.
For example, David’s Bridal debuted an “eco-minded” collection of wedding gowns earlier this year partly made from recycled fibers, including recycled polyester and nylon.
“When our data showed that 58% of brides considered the sustainability of the apparel they purchase to be important, we launched the Reimagine Collection to offer a variety of eco-friendly dresses at affordable prices,” Nancy Viall, chief merchandising officer at David’s Bridal, said in an email to Fashion Dive.
Other companies, such as bridal conglomerate The Pronovias Group, which owns White One, Ladybird and Pronovias, are also making strides down the aisle toward sustainability. In 2020, Pronovias Group set a goal to have sustainable gowns account for half of its collections within the next five years, and its first collection of sustainable options included embroidery and beading made from recycled materials.
Studies have shown there’s a need for sustainability in the wedding industry.
According to research published in The Green Bride Guide, the average wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of carbon dioxide. With an estimated 2.5 million weddings per year, that means 1 billion pounds of trash and the emissions equivalent to what four people would produce in a year in just one day.
"As a company, we believe in the importance of reducing our environmental footprint,” Jeff Cardoso, vice-president of operations at Azazie, said in an email to Fashion Dive. “We've continued to make sustainability pledges and we are thrilled with the work and accomplishments we've achieved through our partnership with Green Education Foundation. It's important to our brand to communicate our sustainability credentials to our consumers.”
