Prom Sustainability 101
Prom is the crowning jewel of many teenagers’ high school careers. Many young women picture prom as the perfect night: perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect date and of course, the perfect dress. But many may have not yet considered that the prom industry has far from a perfect track record when it comes to the exploitation of garment workers and our planet.
The prom industry generates a large amount of revenue, with some surveys citing $600 as the average sum teens across America are willing to shell out to make prom night extra special. And, let’s face it, the most expensive part of the prom experience (depending on where you shop) can oftentimes be the dress. But what are the ramifications of shelling out big bucks for your sequin-studded regalia?
Prom dresses are famous for being worn once and then never again, destined to collect dust in the back of your closet as a glitter-encrusted reminder of the glory days of your adolescence. This makes a prom dress an unsustainable investment, its environmental impact exacerbated by toxic materials such as polyester, nylon, glitter and sequins that pollute the planet and harm our environment. Furthermore, most of the big-name formalwear brands are not committed to ethical and sustainable practices, increasing the exploitation of human labor and our planet’s resources.
With that being said, I want to acknowledge that prom night can provide a lot of social pressure to look both beautiful AND on-trend. Prom is usually a time to be fashionable, to splurge and to feel your best. Yet for some, prom might be a source of financial stress and insecurity about the steep price tags that often accompany being “on-trend.” We want to honor that social situation and help you brainstorm ways to look and feel your best (really!) guilt-free.
How can you be an ethical consumer during prom season?
It’s not as hard as you think. Many might consider the ethical prom shopping trip to be too sparse, difficult or exorbitantly expensive, but this article will help you to find the style that’s right for you without breaking the bank or spending too much time. As an ethical consumer, you have two major options:
Buy second hand
Buy from an ethical company
Depending on how much you’re willing to spend on prom, you have a lot of different options! I’ll walk you through different price points for each type of dress, share the pros and cons of each option and hopefully guide you to the perfect solution for this prom season.
Shop second hand.
The most surefire way to be an ethical consumer is to shop secondhand, reducing demand for production and giving the creation of a garment worker a chance for a new life. I am a huge fan of shopping second hand, for not only is it respectful to garment workers and to the environment, but it can create a completely unique look. Bonus points: you’ll be guaranteed to not be matching anyone else’s dress when you show up to the prom!
There are multiple ways you can shop for a secondhand dress, but my number one piece of advice is to use resale websites such as Poshmark, Depop, Offerup and even Facebook marketplace. Take advantage of filtering by price, color and brand to find your perfect fit. By shopping on secondhand websites, you can shop with design in mind, looking for styles from your favorite designers, guilt-free.
For a low-cost option, check out your local library! Some participating branches will allow you to check out a prom dress for the evening. Contact your local library to see if they offer prom dresses or evening wear for checkout.
Don’t forget to try shopping on curated thrift websites. These sites will comb through hundreds of thrift stores to present a curated closet that you can trust will be full of excellent finds. Some online stores even have pages dedicated solely to prom dresses to peruse at your leisure. Some of my favorite boutique thrift stores are Sifted Co and Savvy Seconds Online!
High school juniors—make sure to check out what your senior friends are wearing to the prom this year. Odds are, you’ll see a style you love—why not offer to buy the dress from a graduating senior? You’ll save some money and take a dress off their hands before they head to college.
Lastly, check out local consignment stores and thrift stores in your area. To make the trip more fun, schedule a full day of thrift shopping with your friends to find the perfect fit!
Buy from an ethical company.
At Dressember, we want to be mindful that teens across the United States have varied financial considerations when shopping for prom. If you have a bit more room in your budget, consider high-end luxury and ethically sourced fashion brands. With the average price of a Sherri Hill gown retailing at around the $400-$500 price range, we chose some brands that reflect this same budget, albeit ethically and sustainably focused.
Dressember has an excellent ethical fashion directory that can source all of your ethical fashion needs! Check out our partners and see if any frocks catch your fancy. You can also vet potential dresses on Good On You.
Be sure to check out independent clothing labels that are transparent about their labor and fabric sourcing so you can know exactly where your pieces are coming from. I had a lot of fun finding dresses online at Frock LA, Symbology, Maison de Mode and Mara Hoffman.
Use a tailor.
Before you go shopping, ask yourself how much you would be willing to spend on a brand new dress. Then, when you’re shopping secondhand, don’t worry about the dress fitting absolutely perfectly! Odds are, you’ll have a lot of extra money left over to spend on working with a tailor to get that perfect fit. Don’t let the ambiguity of secondhand shopping intimidate you—you can always strike amazing deals and get alterations that will leave you feeling confident.
Once you’re done—don’t trash or leave it in the back of your closet.
If you felt beautiful in your prom dress, odds are, someone else will too! Unless you know you’re going to wear it again,
Sell it to a friend
Donate it to a secondhand store
Or post it to Poshmark, Depop, Offerup, Facebook Marketplace or your local library.
About the Author
Millie Vieira is pursuing a degree in International Politics and Dispute Resolution from the sleepy surf town of Malibu, California. Whether she’s practicing foreign languages (she is currently working to master Spanish, French, and Portuguese), keeping up with international politics, or devouring novels by foreign authors, she is always searching for ways to broaden her horizons. During her free time, you can find Millie exploring California’s national and state parks, going to concerts in Los Angeles, and studying for the LSAT.