Do you want a sustainable bridal gown in Dubai?
May 07, 2016 By: Amruta Kshemkalyani

Recently a very talented Eco-designer Sohad Acouri invited me to his sustainable bridal fashion show, Lost Paradise at I Do wedding fair held at Intercontinental Dubai Festival City, to view his latest collection.

Posing with Eco-Designer!

I was super excited to see the sustainable wedding gowns for the first time in my life and I should admit I was not disappointed a bit! After a slight drizzle, the fashion show started. The models wearing beautiful designs started appearing from behind a wall of roses and felt like we were really in paradise. Here is a glimpse of the fashion show, especially for those people who can not believe fashion can be sustainable!

What makes Sohad’s Couture Sustainable?

Sohad Acouri Lost Paradise Bridal Couture

When I interviewed Sohad, obviously this was my first question and to my surprise his answer was Up-cycling. He has been recycling and reusing dresses from his old collection to create a new design. Three dresses in his latest collection Lost Paradise were created by using fabric made in the ’80s.

He told me ‘I only use fibers, organic silk, organic cotton, and recycled fabrics. Even with the leftover, I create a special edition pret a porter, combining small pieces of fabrics to patch them and create my own sustainable fabrics.’

Sustainable Bridal Gowns

No doubt why he was nominated as Eco-Designer by Eluxe magazine as Eco-Designer of the region two years ago. Though he is been creating ethical fashion since last 10 years. This award-winning designer is also UAE ambassador for the Fashion revolution

This Eco-designer always looks for rare and vintage laces, guipure and silks. Those are hard to find but he searches for it whenever he travels. These precious fabrics are the high cost but are organic. Otherwise what you find in the market is a combination of poly, acetate and other chemical products mixed with silk and cotton. He believes, living in a warm country it is essential for hygienic reasons to create sustainable fashion using only organic fabrics and pure silk.

Challenges in Sustainable Fashion

When asked about it, Sohad mentioned; as a leader in sustainable couture in the region, he feels the need to promote and spread awareness about sustainable fashion. ‘This is hard, but our message has to be delivered to our clients properly’.
I am sure, we can spread awareness in the region when we have creative minds like Sohad. He is keen to continue creating his sustainable couture. He is opening his new store at Dubai Design District soon. He is also invited to showcase his brand in one the international Eco-shows. So we have a lot to look forward to from his haute couture.

Finally, when asked about some tips for my readers on sustainable fashion, you really need to read what this Eco-designer replied;
‘Fashion is repeated ideas created in past and manipulated to match the present, we all have those old clothes we love, we can always create something out of them. Just we need to be creative!”