Prom is coming up on June 1 for Issaquah seniors, except I will be attending as a sophomore! While I was honored to be able to go with my senior friends to one of their lasting events of high school, I faced a debacle: my dress. Because this is not my prom, I was concerned about the sustainable impact of my dress choice. As students are more aware, both financially and environmentally, the choice of where to buy a prom dress is even more daunting.

The traditional route in purchasing a prom dress or a suit is to buy from a bigger retail chain like Macy’s or Nordstrom. This is effective, as these bigger stores allow students to try on their dresses and truly understand what they look like. Additionally, the trends for prom dresses are rapidly changing and are reflected in big chain stores. Senior Evanka Singh states, “I bought my dress from Nordstrom and I’m glad I did because I got a chance to see what it would look like on me rather than going online and purchasing my dress.” While this is a major pro, the economic and environmental impacts of purchasing from large retail stores should also be considered. Prom dresses are not often reworn like other everyday clothes. In fact, most students try to change any of their formal dresses every year, and more so, they concern themselves with whether their dress is unique compared to other students. The Medium states, “Hundreds of thousands of new prom dresses are purchased every year…the prom dress industry is unsustainable.” While it is important that students feel confident and ready for the dance floor in their prom dresses, considering the environmental impact of your Macy’s gown or suit is even more important.

Another issue in buying a prom dress is the cost. The Mesa Tribune states, “Most people will spend an average of $400 to $500 on a new prom dress.” Because students aim to buy new formal dresses every year, and other students (like me) attend more than one prom in their high school career, it is even more shocking to consider buying more than one prom dress. It is even harder to grasp the importance of developing a price range when purchasing a dress. Senior Zoe Iacomini states, “I have definitely set a limit with myself when purchasing my prom dress.” This idea is great as it sets a tone for shopping that allows shoppers to be realistic but ultimately happy in their decision on a dress. A solution to this is shopping from more affordable stores like Windsor. While Windsor is also considered fast fashion, for some, the cost of a prom dress overpowers their ability to stay sustainable in all areas of life.

Dressember Foundation states, “Shopping second hand, buying from an ethical company and using a tailor are all ways to get a prom dress sustainably.” There are several options to consider that combat both financial and environmental impacts of prom dress shopping. The first thing to consider is renting a prom dress. There are several reasons why renting a prom dress is a smart idea. The first reason is because it is cheaper. Because a dress is simply being rented out for a day or two, the price is much less than simply buying a new one. Additionally, renting a prom dress assists in the conscious choice to be a sustainable consumer as it forces students to reduce textile waste and not succumb to the practices of fast fashion. Another way to make a financially and environmentally informed decision in purchasing a prom dress is to thrift it. Senior Ignacio Garcia states, “I do not find much in the thrift that I could wear to prom.” This is a point that deters consumers from purchasing their prom dress from a thrift store. A great example that would combat this concern is the website Depop. The Vault states, “Depop’s brand goals focus on marketplace diversity and inclusion, net zero emissions, and circular fashion.” Depop is an online thrifting website where users can put their clothing for sale and have other users of the site make offers or purchase others’ items and eventually, wear them. Depop is a great place to purchase a prom dress for this reason. The choice to purchase a prom dress from a second-hand store is incredibly smart because it is more environmentally sustainable. Second-hand emissions reduce waste that alleviates the work of real government workers. Senior Ian Hansen states, “I bought my suit off of Depop, but I got it tailored.” This is another valuable point because while finding a dream prom dress on Depop is pretty likely, having it tailored perfectly is difficult to come across. Choosing to tailor a second-hand item allows for that item to now become just the owner’s and it is perfectly molded to them. Depop’s clothing items allow users to be smart in spending their money and it also teaches them that discipline in all cases, not just financially.

While prom is an extremely fun and important event in many high schoolers’ lives, ensuring that shopping sustainably and financially well is even more important. Happy prom season!