People talk a lot about the financial costs involved with planning a wedding, but few consider the environmental costs, which are exorbitant.
Some experts say that a single wedding in the United States can create more than 57 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. One of its most sinful suspects is the bridal gown, which on its own can generate between 20 and 30 kilograms of those emissions—a combination of textile production, packaging, quality control, transport of materials to the manufacturer and retailer, and all the water and energy involved in consumer usage for that one big day, and its end-of-life dry cleaning and preservation.
As local couples increasingly realize the ecological damage a big wedding can do, they’re turning to more sustainable alternatives … like the upcycled, unique bridal gowns that Sparks resident Ashlee Roberts creates. Roberts’ business, F by A Unique Bridal, began as a passion project and is now about to enjoy a major brand launch with the company’s first-ever bridal fair, “A Unique Night of Fashion,” on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 4th St. Brewery/Coffee Bar in Reno.
Roberts said she has wanted to be a fashion designer since she was little, when she carried a little green sketchbook around for her designs. But she never considered it seriously as a career until about six years ago.
“I was 25 when I realized I wanted to try to get my passion back from when I was a kid, so I asked my parents if they still had the sewing machine they got me when I was 11,” Roberts said. “I was super surprised that they did, in the back of a closet. I set it down on my dining room table, bought a couple things from the thrift store, and just started sewing.”
Thanks to careful observation of sewist relatives, YouTube videos and a few one-off sewing classes, Roberts taught herself to make a line of streetwear, called F by A Unique Clothing, almost entirely out of upcycled clothing. The choice was mostly because “I was too broke to get actual fabric,” she said. But the more she learned about the fashion industry, particularly fast fashion (mass-produced high-fashion designs sold by retailers at low cost), the more she realized that she was on the right, sustainable path.
“I loved putting together funky outfits,” she said. “One of my earliest collections was a whole streetwear collection inspired by horror movies.”
She’d never considered turning her fashion passion into a wedding business until the owners of the now-defunct Blue Champagne Wedding Co., with whom she’d previously worked on a Reno fashion show, announced it was looking to unload its damaged, unsellable inventory.
“They reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, we have all these dresses. If we give them to you to redesign, we can put them in our stores and help you sell them,’” she said.
She took them up on the offer and was pleased to receive positive feedback. Said Roberts, “I realized, hey, I’m really good at this dressmaking thing!”
About 95 to 98 percent of her work involves upcycled clothing, remaking old wedding dresses into new, original designs. She also does custom designs for couples, including suits; one recent client commissioned a denim suit.
“I try to make the design as close as I can to 100 percent upcycled,” she said. “I try to use dead stock fabrics, anything I can thrift. I’ll ask them if they have anything they want me to use as a base. One client had me use one of her bras so I could make a corset out of it.”
Thus, F by A Unique Clothing (a name dreamed up by her supportive husband referring to “Fashion by Ashlee”) became F by A Unique Bridal, signifying her primary source of business.
Stitching together a bridal event
Roberts said the idea for “A Unique Night of Fashion” took on a life of its own this past August, after finishing a shoot for the business’ first brand campaign. Rather than launching the brand with posts on social media, she wanted to kick it off with a big event celebrating everyone involved—an array of vendors who also are involved in the wedding industry. Before she knew it, she was organizing a full-fledged bridal fair and fashion show.
The location, the alcohol-free 4th St. Brewery/Coffee Bar, was suggested by a colleague of her husband, who had helped build the bar’s stage.
“The owner was thrilled,” she said. “He was over the moon, and he’s been so helpful with the whole thing.”
During the event, the bar will serve signature, bridal-themed mocktails. The vendor list includes florist Fern and Fruit; local bridal hairstylist Joselin Colmenarez; DJ Nick M. with Trippen Entertainment; the new décor rental and mobile bar business Mobile Steed Bar; permanent jewelry by Sparked 775 and more. The event will feature food by the Pot Luck Truck, as well as a special presentation on sustainable fashion and a fashion show featuring designs by F by A Unique Bridal and special guest designer Meranda with Herstory Bridal.
Admission is free, but those interested in the fashion show will need to purchase tickets.
“It’s open to anyone, and I do hope that the majority of attendees are (engaged couples), but it’s also open to people who love fashion—and anyone who just wants a night out,” Roberts said.
“A Unique Night of Fashion“ will take place from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, at 4th Street Brewery/Coffee Bar, in Reno. Admission to the fashion show portion costs $23.18. For tickets or more information, visit www.fbyauniquebridal.com.