by Kirin Rinehart
Focused less on a white wedding than a green one? Call upon Sanyukta Strestha, a London-based bridal designer who tailors to the needs of conscientious brides with her fairly made dresses, hats, and fascinators. Crafted in the United Kingdom from sustainable fabrics such as hemp silk, bamboo, organic silk, soy, banana, and organic cotton—many of which are hand-loomed by women artisans in Nepal—each piece embodies Strestha’s “love green, believe in ethics” ethos, one that positively impacts both people and planet.
ETHICAL BRIDE
If off-the-rack is too quotidian for your big day, Shrestha’s gowns and millinery will give you that bespoke feel you desire. Most of her fabrics are handspun and -loomed from fibers not typically used in luxury bridal design, including prickly nettles found and gathered in the foothills of the Himalayas. For everything else, she sources from ethical and fair-trade-certified manufacturers in England.
But besides her ethical focus, Shrestha gives equal consideration to affordability, a seemingly impossible feat when you consider that sustainable fabrics can be five times as expensive as their conventional counterparts. To provide more value for money, Shrestha fashions each look to be multifunctional. Each silhouette morphs seamlessly into at least two additional styles.
Shrestha’s love of Nepal isn’t a coincidence. She was born and raised there, then educated at the prestigious London College of Fashion. With five years of bridal design and retail experience under her belt, Shrestha’s eponymous bridal collection isn’t merely about matrimonial perfection, but rather the desire to “create beauty around us,” she tells Ecouterre. All her designs are based on the characteristics and “personalities” of the fibers used, which means that your special day will be extra-special indeed.
(Source: www.ecouterre.com )