Glasgow College Project Wins Global Sustainability Award for Repurposed Bridal Gowns

A Glasgow-based initiative focused on transforming used bridal gowns has secured a global sustainability accolade. Glasgow Kelvin College was among two UK establishments acknowledged at the current year’s international Green Gown awards. This distinction is granted to leading environmentally friendly projects within higher education institutions globally. College students were assigned the task of deconstructing previously worn sample wedding dresses and fashioning original designs exclusively from the existing fabric. Designers were restricted to utilizing components from the original garments, such as buttons and zips, to construct their creations entirely. Jo White, a 46-year-old mother of two, participated as one of the 16 designers involved in the prize-winning endeavor. She opted to enroll in the fashion design program following an extended period of poor health. Ms. White’s prior profession was a drug rehabilitation officer, but a life-saving liver transplant prompted her decision to embark on a different career path. “I was very ill for a long time and I was housebound,” she said. “I needed to do something I knew I enjoyed because I was so full of anxiety from being poorly. “I liked sewing so one of my friends said I should apply for my HND and it went really well.” Ms. White is currently pursuing studies in fashion and business at university, having been encouraged to apply by her college lecturer. “I owe so much to those women,” she added. “And I loved learning about the whole side of manufacturing.”Bridal garments have so many layers and the best way to understand how they’re made is by taking them apart.” The gowns utilized for this initiative were contributed by Bijoux Bridal in Hamilton, a business overseen by former student Rebecca Kennedy. Sandra Thomson, the lecturer supervising the project, stated that the curriculum emphasized sustainable, or “slow,” fashion. Slow fashion represents a more environmentally conscious method of apparel manufacturing, prioritizing quality and ecological considerations above rapid production and minimal expenses. “There’s a lot of people out there who might not wear a second-hand wedding dress,” said Sandra. “But they would probably be quite happy if it was a new dress using fabric from second-hand dresses.”There’s still so much usable fabric in these dresses. From the 10 dresses we were given, the class made 16 new ones.”And they weren’t just customised – the gowns were totally unpicked to the fabric.” Ms. Thomson mentioned she maintained “very strict” guidelines, permitting designers to exclusively use the pre-owned dresses for the entire process. Fortunately, the initial garments featured opulent materials and held a value of £25,000. “It meant the students were able to use really high quality fabrics that they would never have been able to afford otherwise,” she added. “They had to be clever and cut around any marks or make-up in the fabric to make sure they used the very best parts.” Kelly Carlin, aged 20, commenced her fashion studies at the college after completing secondary education at 16. “Getting to examine and unpick the layers and then totally transform the dresses was amazing,” she said. “The process made us be more creative and we could run wild with our ideas which would prolong the life of these garments. “If we didn’t do that they would’ve ended up in landfill, but we got so much out of all of them.” The gowns were subsequently showcased at a year-end fashion event before the college learned of its shortlisting for the Next Generation Skills and Learning award. Lecturer Sandra said: “We went down to the UK final and I was so blown away by the other projects.”I felt as if we were the wee humble fashion project amongst all these other big projects.”But we won that – and then we went on to win the international one as well.”There wasn’t an expectation when we got there, but we were absolutely delighted since we’re quite a small department.”