MISS BRISTOL MODELS CITY’S FIRST FAIRTRADE WEDDING DRESS ON SATURDAY 5TH MARCH
Friday, 4th March 2011
A Bristol designer will launch the wedding season in style with an unusual bridal creation modelled by Miss Bristol at the city’s Fairtrade Fashion Show, SATURDAY 5TH MARCH.
The Fairtrade wedding dress has been designed in Bristol by designer Jo Buckley in partnership with pattern cutter, Alex Maier, who has previously worked for Vivienne Westwood. Made from Fairtrade and organic cotton, the ethical wedding dress has been designed with near zero fabric wastage and comes in three parts so it can be worn again.
Buckley has worked in fashion design for 20 years, working for brands such as French Connection and Karen Millen. If the eco-friendly creation designed by Buckley and made by Maier became available to buy on the high street, it would cost around £500 to buy; a price many brides-to-be would welcome when the average price tag on a brand new wedding dress currently sits around £1000.
Miss Bristol, who is currently 17-year old Amy Willerton from Westbury on Trym, will model the wedding dress three times on the catwalk during the Fairwear Fashion Show, taking place in The Galleries shopping centre. Amy has supported many charity events and local community events, and has a keen interest in the world of fashion. Although she is a few years away from choosing a wedding dress for her own special occasion, Amy is as much excited about wearing the wedding dress as any soon-to-be bride.
“The dress is beautiful. I love the fact it has not only been made in Bristol, but that it’s made using 
organic and Fairtrade materials,” said Miss Bristol. “I am delighted to be asked to model this one-off creation and help inspire future brides to consider a more ethical dress to wear on their big day.”
Designer Jo Buckley said: “Wedding fever is very much in the air at the moment with great anticipation building up towards the royal wedding in April, so it has been a very exciting time to design a wedding dress.
“The dress we have designed has been created to celebrate the beauty of organic, Fairtrade cotton. I wanted to explore environmental, social and sustainable design choices that can really help boost the feel good factor of a wedding dress, and also give the creation a sense of longevity. The dress has been made from 100% cotton and can be divided into three parts, allowing it to be re-used, re-made and re-worn. This sustainable and affordable option gives brides-to-be much greater value for money.”
Miss Bristol’s hair will be styled for the Fairwear Fashion Show by Stages Hair Design Ltd. She will model a tiara made from locally grown flowers and her shoes have been provided by Beyond Skin, an ethical fashion label that creates environmentally friendly ladies footwear.
The Fairwear Fashion Show will be presented by James Redmond, a former model and Hollyoaks actor who studied at Clifton College. Sponsored by Green Capital and FiveG at Debenhams which sells Fairtrade cotton clothing for men, the event has been organised by Bristol Fairtrade Network in partnership between the Soil Association and the University of the West of England (UWE). Fashion students from Filton College and UWE are designing and modelling their own Fairtrade range.
Fairwear Fashion Show will run three times during Saturday 5th March at 12.30pm, 2.00pm and 3.30pm with the exhibition and free samples available throughout the day.
For further information about Fairwear Fashion Show and other Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 activities, log on to www.bristolfairtrade.co.uk. For further information on visiting Bristol, log on to www.visitbristol.co.uk. Visitors can also contact Bristol’s tourist information centre on 0906 711 2191 (calls charged at 50p per minute plus network extras) or email ticharbourside@destinationbristol.co.uk.
