If you’re engaged and a lover of natural bridal fabrics like me, you’ll love this quick 3 minute read about my top three favourites that I would recommend for Bridal Wear: silk, cotton, and wool.
“Nature feeds our souls and invigorates our minds, so why not wear it on our bodies too.”
– Joanne Ross Wells
Natural Bridal Fabric – Silk
Silk is spun by silkworms and is one of the most luxurious natural fabrics. Because of this, it is the most well used and well loved sustainable bridal fabric. It is definitely one of my favourite fabrics to work with, even though it is one of the most difficult and most expensive (due to its intensive and lengthy production process).
Silk comes in many different forms, such as silk satin, silk tulle, silk lace, silk crepe, silk organza, silk georgette, silk chiffon and silk taffeta, to name a few. In the image above, a medium weight silk satin was used for our Couture Bride Amy’s tea-length, 2-piece wedding outfit.
Silk’s 5 main natural bridal fabrics benefits are:
- Breathable
- Sustainable
- Absorbent
- Luxurious lustre
- Easy to dye.
More on Silk
Natural Bridal Fabric – Cotton
Cotton is spun from cotton lint which is harvested from cotton bushes.
Cotton fabrics also come in many different forms, from very light weight muslin to more heavy weight drills and denims.
For bridal wear, the light weight fabrics can be used for sheer sleeves and ruching, while the heavier weight fabrics are used inside the bodice to give it great form and support.
In the image above, a soft Italian cotton was used with cotton crochet elements, all lovingly made by hand.
Cotton’s top 5 natural bridal fabrics benefits are:
- Breathability
- Comfortable
- Easy to clean
- Sustainable & Vegan friendly
- Organic cotton is one of the most natural fabrics.
More on Cotton fabrics
Natural Bridal Fabric – Wool
During my years as a Fashion Design student, I created this stunning wedding dress in a beautifully soft and ‘flowy’ Australian wool fabric.
The centre ruching/gathering was easy to achieve and the ‘Fit & Flare’ style lent itself to the contouring effect of the wool fabric.
There is a great initiative by some forward thinking Australian sheep farmers, Penny Ashby and Skye Manson, called ‘Women Behind Wool’. They’re speaking out to let consumers know more about the Merino Wool process and its involvement in the Fashion Industry.
Wool’s top 5 natural bridal fabrics benefits:
- Cool in Summer
- Warm in winter
- Fire resistant
- Antibacterial
- Biodegradable
JRW Bridal & Couture
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