8 Eco-Friendly Wedding Dress Designers You Should Know

You are planning for your big, beautiful, loved-filled-day: the highly anticipated day you and your partner solidify your vows of commitment in front of the people closest to you. But cut the daydream short for a moment: What are you going to wear?!

Brides spend countless hours browsing the web and magazines in search for the perfect dress to say yes to. And in an age of fast fashion, yes, even wedding dresses are made with cheap, polluting fabrics and sewn by women (and maybe even children) not paid a fair wage. Yet the price you pay is far from cheap.

So how can you look lovely and support better working and environmental conditions as you prepare for your big day?

The demand for eco-friendly wedding dresses is on the rise. Hundreds of wedding dress designers around the world are using upcycled and sustainable fabrics to make wedding dresses, as well as local or in-house production, and fair-trade practices. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite eco-wedding dress designers here, and how their practices are sustainable. Dream away…

Minna creates ethical, handmade wedding dresses out of vintage and certified organic fibers.  Using sustainable techniques like zero waste cutting and local manufacturing, Minna’s Eco-Luxe wedding dress designs have been featured in Vogue, Elle and Brides magazines. Choose from readymade designs, or create your own custom dress.

Celia Grace dresses are made from eco, handwoven silk and dyed using safe nontoxic formulas.  The makers of each dress are paid fair wages, work in safe and fair conditions and are given benefits such as paid maternity leave.  The company is currently applying for fair trade recognition.  Plus, for every dress sold a water filter is donated to a family in need in Cambodia.

Tammam’s traditional atelier style production, knew from the start they wanted a strong footing dedicated to ethical and sustainable production.  The dress pictured above is made with soft eri (vegetarian) silk and interlined with organic cotton. Eri silk, a type of vegetarian silk, allows the moths to emerge before harvesting the fiber.  All dresses are custom made to fit the wishes of the bride.

Morgan Boszilkov, based in Atlanta Georgia, uses eco-friendly fabrics, and local “made with love” USA production to create wedding gowns and accessories. Designer Boszilkov donates 5% of all sale to environemmtal chariries in the US.

Deborah Lindquist mixes upcycled, organic fabrics with embellishments of vintage stones to create beautiful couture wedding dresses all American made. This Dana dress is made using organic linen and vintage fabrics.

Sanyukta Shrestha
Currently based in England, hailing from Nepal, Sanyukta creates beautiful, classic wedding gowns with sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, silk, and bamboo. Through her dedication to quality and her roots, she works with artisans in Nepal and sources from certified ethical and fair trade manufacturers in England.

Nicole Lenzen, based in Brooklyn, works closely with clients throughout the design process from start to finish.  Tailoring exactly to their needs and body shapes, Lenzen using sustainable and fair trade fabrics on all gowns.  All garments are made in her studio in Brooklyn, NY.

Loup Charmant, although not a wedding dress designer, we propose you sometimes look outside the box: A wedding dress doesn’t have to be called one to be worn.  This Loup Charmant Gathered Gauze Maxi Dress, made with GOTS certified organic cotton gauze, manufactured in New York City, is as romantic and elegant as any wedding dress with an unmatched simplicity.

Related on Eco-Chick:

Budget Conscious Bride: Gorgeous Used Wedding Dresses Available Online