Where to find a sustainable debs dress

The time has come to go Debs dress shopping.

Not quite sure what you’re looking for? Maybe you’re not head over heels for any dresses you’ve seen online or on Pinterest? Or maybe you’re not too comfortable with the idea of spending a lot of moola on a dress you’ll probably only wear one time. A sustainable Debs dress is a great option when you think your dress will be a once-off wear.

Sustainable brands

Trying to find a sustainable brand to buy your Debs dress from is a great option, although mightn’t be the most affordable. Doing your own research on how comfortable you are with each company’s sustainability ethos is really important here, as we can all vary on our opinions of fast fashion. One Irish brand creating slow fashion Debs offering is Folkster (where I actually bought my Debs dress!). They’re working to become a more sustainable and ethical slow fashion company, and have so many Debs options in store in Dublin, Kilkenny, and on their website.

Rent

Renting formal wear is back in trend, and we’re a long way away from the puffy suits your dad and uncles wore to weddings in the 90s. There’s a lot of Irish options both online and around the country where you can rent formal wear. You often get massive designer labels for a fraction of the price, and you don’t have the guilt of a €600 dress hanging in your wardrobe that you’ll never wear again.

Go Secondhand

Secondhand clothing apps like Depop are full of Debs dresses people have worn once, and that are crying out for a second wear. You’ll see so many Debs dresses that are still in stores for sometimes a lot cheaper, so not only are you doing your bit for the environment, but you’re saving yourself some cash too! Or if you’d rather be able to see a dress in person before you buy it, try secondhand or charity shops close to you – you’d be surprised what you could find! Even vintage stores could have some hidden gems waiting for another chance in the spotlight!

Facebook Groups

If you think Facebook groups are just for airfryer recipes or your granny to look at old pictures, think again. For a lot of us (shoutout to the classes of 2020 and 2021), we had our Debs cancelled because of restrictions, meaning we had brand new Debs dresses we could never wear. A lot of people have turned to Facebook Buy and Sell groups to sell their tags still on, never worn Debs dresses. If you’re not too fussy about what kind of dress you’d like, these groups are a perfect way to get a Debs dress bargain, as well as doing your bit for sustainability!

So, you have your dress sorted, your ticket’s ready, now all you have to do is enjoy your night!