Florist Spotlight

Wedding Magic of a Different Kind

Photos by Joanne Randals

Recycling and repurposing is a hot topic these days with people going out of their way to find ways of reusing various materials. Our Editor recently caught by with Ismanah ‘Izzy’ Jose of The Secret Silk Garden who has found an ingenious way of repurposing wedding industry waste to great effect.

Izzy graduated with a Masters Degree in Textiles Art in January 2024 and for her dissertation and thesis, she decided to create a design using mainly repurposed sample wedding gowns.

As Izzy explained: “There’s an enormous amount of waste which comes from the wedding industry each year, which is often overlooked, and I wanted to change that in a considered and creative kind of way. Inspired by my own journey of being a bride and a florist, I wanted to find a way to repurpose this waste into something meaningful and beautiful; to create a new kind of circular economy.”

To get her project off the ground, Izzy approached local business, i.e. bridal shops and dress makers, in the Swansea area near to her university to see whether they would be able to help. And boy were they! As Izzy laughed: “My first stop resulted in a large car being filled to the rafters with samples, dresses, silks, lace etc. I was bowled over and excited in equal measure! I got so much material it was incredible. Everyone was over the moon to have the opportunity for their waste sample gowns and fabrics to be recycled.” In fact, Izzy used what she needed for her installation and the rest is now available for foundation students to make use of.

Her exhibition ran for two months (December 2023/January 2024) and, for this, she was allocated a large room at the university (which actually used to be the Swansea library) and her installation, from floor to ceiling, was so tall that she required a cherry picker to assist with the design. As the room was not in use anymore, Izzy had the luxury of taking her time over several months to perfect everything. “Such a bonus,” she enthused. “And with my home being the Gower Peninsula, in the Welsh coastal countryside, it was only natural that my work reflected the wild landscape of the December month.”

She sourced locally foraged foliage, added some dried flowers as well as fabric flowers crafted entirely from the wonderful gowns which she had the joy of recycling, and, when complete, her design consisted of a wedding arch, two pillars and a cloud.

“Evolving wedding waste into a fresh reality was an absolute joy, and I really hope to continue to branch out with this theme for special occasions, tributes etc.”

We are absolutely sure that she will!