How to “do” a sustainable prom!
It is without doubt the highlight of most teenage girls school year, as she celebrates finishing her GCSE’s and the possibility of a dance with her secret school crush. It is the phenomenon known as the School Prom!!!
A whole industry has been created around this event which is a far cry from the tacky disco or leavers book we got in our youth!
Big dresses, big cars and a big party. Parents be prepared for hair, nail and make up appointments, 45 shops, 2 cities and 300 miles to find THE dress. Add to that finding the appropriate vehicle, be it a chauffeur driven limo, a hired vintage car or spruced up tractor (yes, really!). All so she arrives in her finest dress - the one she will undoubtedly wear once…quite stressful all round we are sure you’ll agree!
At Conscious Closet we thought long and hard about this event and how we can help both parents and daughters. We wanted to prevent some of the waste by offering a good selection of our dresses for rent or sale at decent prices. It’s been quite a shock to discover just how much money some parents spend on this one wear outfit, with a total spend in 2019 being around £1,000 per child…AVERAGE!!!! The global prom industry is currently worth 15billion USD, and whilst we understand the excitement of this event and how easy it is to get in to spending such a large amount on your beloved child, we are sure there is a more sustainable and less expensive way of enjoying.
Our pop-up prom event last weekend was a great success. Obviously to see the smiling faces of our gorgeous young customers as they exited the changing rooms filled with red carpet pride. But also, the parents and carers who thanked us profusely for the stress we had saved them, some even managing to sit outside chilling with a coffee! We advised on prom trends, fit, colour, accessories, ordered sizes we didn't have, and revelled in the ooos and the ahhhs. There were a few tears, a lot of glitter, a very cute puppy appearance, but overall a real sense of relief to finally find that dress.
We gave parents the option to buy or rent, and also added pre-loved dresses - some of which had never been worn due to last year's cancellations. We were impressed with the girls who were really happy to buy pre-loved and concerned about the waste in fashion. It was encouraging to see our younger generation wanting to make a difference. Some girls were excited and confident and others nervous and awkward. But we made sure every one of them felt like a princess.
Ideas to make the complete outfit sustainable? Make sure you wear the dress again or pass on as pre-loved (we can take from you next year!). Don’t forget you can easily find seamsters who can alter the dress for future wear - maybe shorten to provide an ideal party dress? Check out our recommendations on the “mend” page for local artisans. Look at vintage sites for jewellery and bags - where you can find some beautiful and unusual accessories - ebay and Amazon marketplace are also good options. And for those “give me height but last all night” shoes - then why not buy shoes you can wear often? A wedge for ease to walk in that has an open toe for those painted nails or some glitz at the front. And we are also seeing girls wearing bold trainers with sequins as the ideal dance all night shoe that can easily be worn at future parties!
Adidas ZX 6000
So, if you are one of those parents who is still struggling to find that dress, or haven't started looking yet, then why not give our services a try? We understand schools have been making last minute decisions in line with government advice on events, but seems the green light is now on. Do you know a friend who is in this situation? We have new dresses arriving daily and can now take private appointments for one to one or groups of friends together. We will make it fun and take the stress out of the experience. We have all budgets covered and can order the dress of your dreams if you cannot find it on the day.
Contact us to book an appointment. E: studio@conscious-closet.co.uk M: Lisa 07879 444409.