On 21 April 2023, in honour of Earth Day, a third-year student from BA Costume for Performance, Rebecca Keene, debuted a bridal gown made in collaboration with Lucy Orta, Visual Artist, Professor and Chair of Art and the Environment. This debut for Orta's Lost Species installation at the Granary Building in King’s Cross, proposes a new type of garment, supporting brides with a limited budget to obtain multiple garments from one purchase.
Keene wanted to create a gown that gave sustainable and fashion-conscious brides an opportunity to buy a garment that they can re-use, While honouring and featuring prints from Lucy Orta's expeditions through the Amazon.
Keene says, she “wanted to create a garment which could be worn for a wedding ceremony, but importantly one that instead of ending up in the back of a wardrobe doubled as a jacket to be worn to other occasions”. Drawing inspiration from Harris reed and Celine Dion’s 1999 reversed suit by Dior’s John Galliano, Keene created a gown made of quilted sections that are attached by fastened poppers, giving the bride the ability to customise her dress by removing layers to their desired length. The inside lining is extra material from Orta’s installation making it reversible when worn as a jacket while promoting the idea of a re-wearable garment.
During the creation of the garment, Keene focused on using natural fibres like silk, wool, deadstock materials, or surplus fabrics. Going on to say that “the tulle used was from a clearance auction which otherwise was likely to end up in a landfill. The down I used for the quilted squares, came from old down pillows that I saved from being thrown away.”
Since completing this garment, Keene plans to explore more of the wedding-wear industry, its environmental impact and strides towards sustainability.
Written by LCF Newsroom Content Creator, Isabelle McCormick - MA Fashion Journalism