Wedding dress or weeding dress? The gown made of roots that you throw on the compost heap to biodegrade after your big day
For many brides, their wedding dress is an object to preserve and treasure for the rest of their lives.
But the designer of a new nature-friendly gown instead wants its wearers to toss it onto a compost heap after their big day.
The £4,000 frock, which was displayed by creator Zena Holloway at the Chelsea Flower Show yesterday, is woven from grass roots rather than the plastics more commonly used in clothing.
Ms Holloway, 49, said she developed the idea after being horrified by the effects plastic is having on the natural world.
Fabrics such as nylon and polyester release microfibres into the water when they are washed.
The £4,000 frock, which was displayed by creator Zena Holloway at the Chelsea Flower Show yesterday, is woven from grass roots rather than the plastics more commonly used in clothing
Ms Holloway (pictured), 49, said she developed the idea after being horrified by the effects plastic is having on the natural world
The designer, from south-west London, hit on the idea of making dresses from roots after she saw the roots of a willow tree immersed in water while she was involved in a river clean-up on the Thames.
She said: ‘We’ve got this fantastic material called plastic, it passes through our hands in seconds and never rots goes away. For an intelligent species, it’s a ridiculous idea.’
She began to experiment with growing plants to make fabrics, and hit on the idea of using grass roots.
Ms Holloway’s company Root Full grows wheatgrass shoots in beeswax moulds, which produce an intricately woven root structure.
After about two weeks the shoots are trimmed off, leaving the mat of white roots below, which are then dried and pressed into a fabric.
Different designs are possible, with some featuring the swirling patterns of brain coral.
She began to experiment with growing plants to make fabrics, and hit on the idea of using grass roots
Ms Holloway’s company Root Full grows wheatgrass shoots in beeswax moulds, which produce an intricately woven root structure
The process, from growing the dress, to making the material and fitting it ready for a bride, takes around two months.
Ms Holloway said: ‘It’s quite amazing how much fabric you can make from a small piece of turf. It’s quite hard wearing as long as you keep away from the elements.’
Ms Holloway has made three wedding dresses so far, and has had to turn down offers from brides to wear them at their weddings so they could be exhibited at Chelsea, but hopes they will soon be used as intended.
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