“GOWN,BUT NOT FORGOTTEN,”

….and just when she thinks the ride is about to end, it gathers a different pace in anticipation of freedom, graduation, school prom, afterparties, farewells to some of her friendship group moving abroad, final sleepovers, and where ever else this ride choosing to head.

There’s no getting away from the fact that school Prom night has become one of the biggest calendar event of year! I’ve watched her put in the hard work and she deserves to let her hair down and reap the rewards. This is a moment in her life to make memories, and Prom can be the crowning point to date. I stress ’to date’, because in hot pursuit comes not six, but ten whole weeks of summer and opportunities to make equally memorable moments!

Prom ticket’s been purchased and in between revision, she’s on snap with friends, discussing looks, searching up prom transitions, rating, getting inspired, changing her mind over and over again. Her friendship group already have their fits sorted, and I have to keep reassuring her not to stress too much about finding the perfect fit, and once found, not to bow to the pressure of creating a prom transition just because her peers are all at it. ‘It’s your prom, and you get to decide how you make these memories’. I said.

I carried out a survey with over 500 A-LEVEL students who attended their G.C.S.E school prom,  and as one student said to me  “it feels good to buy brand new things for a big event”  
-but here the big question-  
WOULD YOU EVER WEAR IT AGAIN?

50% said they haven’t re-worn their outfits, and it’s still sitting in their wardrobes. Some donated to charities, a percentage throw the outfits away due to the quality of material, others passed it on to family members, and a few sold their’s on secondhand apps.

She wants to look snatched, in an outfit of fairly good material that won’t fall apart before the night ends. Nevertheless, Knowing that she is one of over 10,000 other students in the UK, plus millions around the world attending a school prom or ball this summer, that equates to a lot of outfits that might end up in landfills. Besides re-wearing or passing on to a family member, all other survey outcomes have a negative effect on our planet.

Landfills are currently filled with about 92 millions tonnes of discarded clothes and textiles per year, double the amount 20 years ago. By 2030, it is predicted that we will produce over 100 million tonnes of new clothing per year; with resulting emissions of more of more than flights and shipping combined!!

We in the UK produce the most clothing waste in Europe and we’re the second largest used clothing exporter in the world, after America. We predominately dump our fashion waste in Accra with consequences that has created a blessing and a curse. Accra is now at the fore-front of up cycling and reuse culture, which demonstrates an exemplary module of circular fashion. Creative tailors in Accra’s Kantamanto market work hard to repurpose and sell the clothing that arrives on their shores; Unfortunately the sheer scale of poorly constructed fast fashion items that aren’t made to last – means a lot of it is impossible to re- use and ends up in landfills, wrapped around the ropes of fishing boats near Accra, and strewn across beaches.

MY GENTLE SLOW FASHION SUGGESTIONS TO MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

HER WARDROBE

Yes! Start from your own wardrobe and you may be surprised to find something in there. Consider picking one item that you love and build your look around it. Think bridesmaids, wedding guest outfits, other formal occasions we have attended, and get creative by using accessories, and a new hairstyle.

MY WARDROBE NOW

Yes! Jaw hit the floor at this suggestion, but actually the generational gap has shrunk dramatically over the years. The resurfacing and reinvention of old trends, as well as the constantly evolving of blended styles means there might be items in my wardrobe that can be altered. More so, if she wants to switch up to a more individual look. As it happens, she already borrows from my wardrobe and I from hers, which keeps it circular in the family.

SEARCH ONLINE

Search and find an outfit you love, then jump on the second-hand apps to see if the same outfit is listed in your size, and buy for a fraction of the price. This will save money, and encourage a circular economy. You will become path of the solution to our throwaway culture without even trying too hard.

SOCIAL MEDIA –CONNECTIONS

Tiktok is rift school prom transitions and inspirations. Don’t just keep scrolling through and showing me past prom outfits that look nice. If you like the outfit, consider sliding into their DM. Compliment the fit, ask where they got it from?, ask about size, and weather they plan on wearing it again? If no, would they consider selling it on a secondhand platform so you can buy it?   – (This way both parties are protected)
Most prom outfits on secondhand Apps, only ever get worn once and the seller is obligated to show pictures of the outfit with any damages, so she’s  know what to expect. We will end up paying less than if she bought a brand new one, and would have rescued it from just sitting in someone else’s wardrobe for years to come.
All that left is perhaps a dry-clean job, and if she’s lucky, the buyer may have already had it cleaned.

REACH OUT TO BRANDS

If she’s dead set on wearing a particular brand, I suggested she reach out to them and ask if they offer a pre- loved range (buying directly from the brand should guarantee authenticity), that she can choose from. Also to ask if they have an archive of stock, that is not already online. She may have to ask for a manager, or slide into their DM, explaining that she loves the brand and would like to wear a piece to her your prom if possible. Pre-loved means we save money, it’s less likely that someone else will be wearing the same outfit, and she’ll be doing her small part in reducing waste going to landfills.

HIRE COMPANIES/RENTALS  

There has been talk of a suit amongst her friendship group, so I suggested hiring for less or the same price as a new suit. There are so many options on offer, ranging from a boxy 2 piece to a fitted three piece – (including Jacket, trousers, shirt, waistcoat, tie & pocket square); which start from about £99.00!

Again I suggested she browsed online to save time, and once a decision has been made, its crucial we pop down to the brands shop for a fitting/or any necessary alterations to achieve the perfect fit. – (this service is usually free and part of a rental package). It comes fully dry-cleaned, and the brand dry-cleans on return. Even better, if she likes the outfit and would like to re-wear, (some rental places have an option to buy!) which makes it a win win situation. Money saved, or a new addition to her wardrobe, and I will certainly slide into the suit as I favour an androgynous look. If you are worried about damaging the suit in all the excitement of the night, relax, we can pay an optional £9.99 to cover any damage. CIRCULAR FASHION

BUY PRELOVED

I suggested the idea of making a bigger statement with her outfit, by taking inspiration from the different cultures she has been blessed to be born into. Mixing African prints, Scottish, West Indian and English is bound to produce a memorable ‘one of a kind’ outfit that still looks snatched.

Practical shoe suggestion

I was going to suggest that she considered re-wearing an old pair of shoes in her wardrobe that might just need a good shine, cleaning or re-heeling, but she lives in trainers and crocs and has no dressy shoes. I then suggested buying from the second hand apps , but that was met with a resounding no.

All that was left to was – ‘if you are not wearing trainers, you need to start practising how to walk in the new heels or platforms from now until prom day.