Conscious Elegance
48 Hallgarth Street
Durham, DH1 3AT, UK
Tel: 0191 383 9263
Contact: Lori Del Genis
E-mail: lori@consciouselegance.co.uk
Categories: bridalwear and green-weddings
What we do
Environmentally gentle wedding gowns and bridalwear
Our eco-friendly dresses are designed from beginning to end to benefit our earth as well as our brides. We create our original wedding dress and bridesmaid/occasion gown patterns to your own measurements. You can choose from many beautiful designs with several colours and contrasts to create a truly stunning ethical wedding gown that's made just for you.
We do not mass produce but sew one dress at a time. You'll enjoy private online access to our workshop logs, which you can visit at any time to monitor your gown's progress. It's important to us that you are delighted with your dress and are included every step of the way.
Gorgeous gowns that don't cost the earth
You needn't compromise your values to look stunning. With a Conscious Elegance gown, you may let all of nature rejoice with you on your special day. And feel proud that you are a part of the solution.
View our new Spring 2008 line!
Ethical Action
Ethical Policies: Who we are and what we’re about
We started from a passion: to provide beautiful, well-made, eco-friendly wedding dresses and bridal wear using only the kindest, most socially responsible methods available.
Unlike many high-street chains, we remain close to our sources and can personally monitor their actions. Our gowns are sewn completely in the UK by local artists.
We believe that we can be successful in our business while acting honestly and giving truly exceptional service. We are a small, family-owned company and we will remain so.
Respect for our resources
We use only 100% Control Union World Group (formerly SKAL) certified organic cottons and pesticide-free silk and hemp blends in our dressmaking. Even our garment labels are sewn on certified organic cotton and our buttons are carved from sustainable nutshells, the sale of which supports rain forest preservation.
Our suppliers are also pledged to responsible practice. No underage children are employed by any of our fabric or notion sources.
Awards and Recommendations
Conscious Elegance is thrilled to have won the Environmental Agency/North Tyneside Council Business of the Year Award for 2007! We even beat out Nissan!
A few ways we're trying to make a difference
Recycling
We use 100% post-consumer recycled materials in our office paper; our shipping materials are recycled (all but the wrapping tissue, which is preservation grade and sustainably sourced) and all are fully biodegradable. We recycle all fabric scraps into swatches, elastic casings, ribbon and fabric flowers. We are presently investigating the use of recycling post-consumer plastic into boning for our bodices.
Reducing carbon footprint
We use a carbon-neutral UK courier (elitecourier.co.uk) for transporting our dresses to our customers in order to minimise the environmental harm. We choose not to use personal cars but instead rely on bicycles, footwork and public transit for our transportation, including to and from client fittings.
Using organic products
All of our materials are sourced to be eco-gentle. Our cotton linings, lacing panel, lace trims and even our dress labels are certified organic cotton. Our hemp blends and our silks and hempsilks are produced without pesticides or chemicals.
Using cruelty-free products
We offer a variety of eco-gentle fabric options, including vegan-friendly fabrics and vegetarian ‘peace’ silk that does no harm to the silkworms that create it.
Supporting fair trade
We use fairly-traded note cards and stationery for our written correspondence; our buttons are hand-carved from fairly-traded tagua nut. Our use of the tagua-nut buttons generates profits that allow craftsmen to support themselves and their families without resorting to harmful farming practices. This protects the South American rain forest, which in turn helps to preserve the ozone layer.
Supporting / working with a charity
We have a charity policy of donating 3% of our annual gross income to humanitarian and environmentally-supportive charities. Please see our website under our page on Philosophy and Ethics.
We donate our infant wear to local fund-raising for ambulance/emergency support for the more rural areas in our community.
We donate our infant wear to auction for local fund-raising for Great North Air Ambulance which provides emergency support in our community (charity no. 1092204)
Vegetarian / vegan
See cruelty-free above.
Other...
We offer a special service for our customers: we hand-create eco-friendly Christening Gowns/Naming Ceremony garments out of their own gowns for their future little ones at no extra charge. The garments are machine or hand washable and easy to care for and can be re-used for each child. It’s a wonderful and sentimental way to recycle!