Whether in the world of bridal fashion or elsewhere, sustainability is a vast concept with many definitions of what it represents. With so many different meanings, it’s sometimes up to the brand and consumer to decide what the word means for themselves. Talented designers like Janice Lee choose to work with sustainable fabrics and advocate slow fashion. She offers eco-conscious options to help complete an entire bridal look through her business, Beyond the Ceremony.
Today, brides are more interested in sustainability than ever, and environmentally-conscious brands are constantly popping up. While sustainable fashion used to be focused solely on ready-to-wear, the wedding space has made it known that they are striving to be more eco-friendly, too; in turn, this has created new ways to attract couples into thinking “green” on their wedding days.
Janice, a bridal and luxury womenswear designer, echoes the sentiment of investing in long-lasting, re-wearable pieces. She is an experienced creative director & fashion designer with over a decade of technical design and manufacturing experience in the fashion industry. She creates original designs, illustrations, prints, and embroidery across all retail apparel and accessory categories, and focuses on pristine craftsmanship and unique detailing.
Her adoration and love for fabulous clothing was evident in her childhood. She grew up in Los Angeles with a modest upbringing. She started her journey in the 6th grade when she discovered a burning fire in her belly for making beautiful clothes. Despite her restricted finances, young Janice was fascinated by the fashion world and how one could repurpose garments in order to make them fresh and exciting again.
Spinning her passion into a profitable venture, she became a professional fashion designer and spent over ten years working for other companies in bridal design. Although she treasured the craft of designing, it sincerely bothered her that traditional bridal companies wanted to sell the “princess lifestyle” to attract a prince charming to come to save the bride. Spending thousands of dollars on an extravagant gown seemed pointless to her from this notion.
Since these outdated ideals never resonated with her, she aimed to spark a positive change in a segment of the fashion industry that has been historically unsustainable. Fueled by her passion, she founded Beyond The Ceremony, where she creates re-wearable bridal designs that fit back into the bride’s life instead of becoming a long-lost deteriorating heirloom. Even the name suggests the same. According to Janice, the bride can send the dress back to the brand, which will dye and re-work it into a more versatile garment for wearing beyond the ceremony.
We highly recommend you follow Janice Lee’s account; who knows, you might come to appreciate bridal fashion in an entirely new light.
