Millennials prefer reusable wedding dresses

Millennials seem to be preoccupied by environmental issues, even when it comes to planning their weddings.

According to data presented by the Stylight search engine, the generation born between 1981 and 1996 favors durable, re-wearable and, if possible, affordable wedding dresses.

The first lesson of the study is that no less than 71 per cent of the wedding dresses clicked on are made to be worn on the big day, but also at other times. Most under-40s do not want to be encumbered with a gown that will spend years under a cover at the back of a wardrobe.

Shopping and fitting sessions for brides-to-be could also become a thing of the past. More and more of the soon-to-be-wed are turning to online shopping for their gowns of choice.

Stylight reports a 352 per cent increase in clicks on its "wedding dresses" category throughout 2019, with an average price of around US$890 (S$1240) for the most clicked garments, which is significantly less than the sums paid for designer dresses.

What do millennials think of traditions? While most brides-to-be opt for white dresses, some are turning to other colours, but without throwing caution to the winds. The search engine reports that 20 per cent of wedding dresses are not white, with nude, pale pink and taupe being the most common alternative colors.

REFORMATION THE BRAND OF THE MOMENT

Stylight also analysed potential labels for millennials' wedding dresses on the basis of three criteria: sustainability, re-wearability and affordability.

The brand that scored best was Reformation, which had global clicks up by 105 per cent at the beginning of 2020, with the Verbena leading the ranking for the gown most-clicked by millennial brides.

The label overcame competition from Self Portrait (+99 per cent), Les Rêveries (+90 per cent), & Other Stories (+50 per cent) and Asos (+23 per cent), all of which also offer attractively priced wedding dresses.

Stylight based its report on internal data collected from its 12 million monthly users.

The timeframe studied for global clicks on wedding dresses was from Jan to Dec 2019 and the 600 wedding dresses analysed were ranked by the number of clicks for selected markets, namely the United States, Germany, Italy, and France, over a period that extended from Jan 2019 to Jan 2020.