Worldwide, couples increasingly are focused on hosting sustainable weddings as a way to express love for both each other and planet Earth. From sending digital rather than paper invites, to selecting LEED-certified venues, to choosing ethically sourced and eco-friendly fabrics, to hiring caterers that utilize local, organic ingredients for their meals, to eliminating throw-away party favors, the wedding industry has seen consumers make a major shift toward greener choices in recent years.
“Couples are increasingly finding ways to incorporate sustainable practices into their wedding day without sacrifice,” says David Schoenfeld, founder of Ring Bear, the first carbon-neutral brand specializing in sustainable men’s wedding and engagement rings that use recycled gold and platinum. (Notably, creating one gold ring the old-fashioned way typically results in 20 tons of waste from newly mined sources.)
Laine London is the only wedding dress rental retailer in the U.S. that allows a bride to rent a perfectly tailored designer dress. Even though 77% of brides say they would rather rent a dress, there haven’t been many options for wedding dress rentals until now. The company is Black-owned, female-founded and places an emphasis on inclusivity, sustainability and personalization.
Furthermore, the bridal industry traditionally has lacked diversity in terms of both the models chosen and the imagery used. Laine London carries sizes 0-32, and the company’s images represent the diversity reflected in real brides.
When in her 20s, Laine London founder Lundyn Carter grew frustrated whenever she went wedding dress shopping with friends, and also shopping for herself. She noticed a lack of diversity in dress sizes and styles, as well as pressure to choose quickly. She launched her company to create a pressure-free, fun, elevated shopping experience where every bride sees someone who looks like her. She also wanted to offer brides the option to rent instead of buy – saving both the environment and money.
“There are unique challenges with being a first of our kind brand,” said Carter in an exclusive interview with me. “Even though most brides say they’d rather rent formalwear, and there is a huge increase in focus on sustainable fashion, it still can be hard to convince brides to rent.”
Carter points out that around 85% of all textiles thrown away in the U.S. are either dumped into landfills or burned. Laine London sees an average of five rentals per dress. This amounts to an 80% reduction in wedding dresses made.
“We’re continuing to push ourselves and evolve,” Carter says. “As brides’ values and priorities change over time, we want to make sure we’re meeting them where they are and with what’s most important to them. The best part of my job is seeing the joy and happiness a bride feels when she finds her perfect dress.”
Carter offers this advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. “Live your life being unapologetically you. In the early days of your business, begin building your trusted advisor, mentor and potential investor network. Nurture those relationships long before you need to ask for help. Last, but certainly not least, listen to your customers. Your customers should be the focal point of all decisions. When you make them your #1 priority, you create customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy.”
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