British designer creates wedding dress made entirely of facemasks

Thousands of people across the United Kingdom are celebrating ‘Freedom Day’ as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are lifted. The easing also means weddings can now proceed without curbs. So, a wedding planning agency decided to mark the occasion by unveiling a bridal gown made of facemasks! Photos of the stunning dress have created a huge buzz online.

The beautiful, flowing white dress, commissioned by wedding planner website and supplier marketplace Hitched, is made out of 1,500 upcycled facemasks, and designed by Tom Silverwood, a noted TV and film costume designer. The agency collaborated with him as they wanted to find a sustainable way to use the leftover PPE materials and celebrate the return of weddings without restrictions.

“The dress also serves to highlight the waste that disposable plastic PPE has on the environment, with Hitched claiming that 100 million disposable masks are thrown away in the UK every week,” Evening Standard reported.

Worn by model Jemima Hambro, the asymmetric ruffled gown with puffed sleeves was revealed at a photoshoot near London’s iconic landmark of St Paul’s Cathedral. Styled with a simple bouquet, golden strappy heels and a mask folded into a hair accessory, the offbeat bridalwear caught the attention of both onlookers at the venue and netizens online.

The agency said they were overjoyed that after more than one-and-a-half years, wedding ceremonies will be returning in England without legal restrictions, which severely affected the wedding industry.

“With thousands of weddings set to take place this summer, couples can now look forward to dancefloors reopening, standing drinks receptions and photographs full of smiling faces with PPE restrictions lifting,” Sarah Allard, editor of Hitched, told The Sun. 

“It’s a small gesture, but we hope our face mask wedding dress brings a smile to your face today and fills you with hope that you can celebrate with your loved ones as you planned,” the website said about their project.

However, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in England, it was marred by surging infections and his own forced self-isolation. As businesses across England faced a shortage of workers due to the NHS app pinging people and telling them to isolate, supermarkets warned they faced strain, Reuters reported.