Poor Indian brides get chance to marry in designer saris, thanks to Kerala shop’s outfit recycling drive
- Every day across India, countless young women dream of someday wearing a wedding dress they could never normally afford
- But now they have the chance to walk down the aisle in an outfit by Ritu Kumar or Sabyasachi Mukherjeea, thanks to this Kerala clothes shop
When the young woman with the wistful look in her eyes turned to leave Sabitha’s clothes shop in Kannur, Kerala, after looking longingly at the bridal section for what seemed like an eternity, the owner stopped her to ask what was wrong.
“She was getting married and loved the bridal gowns but her parents, she said, could not afford them in ‘a million years’. When she left, I felt a rush of sadness,” said Sabitha, 40, who only goes by one name.
To cater to this need, Sabitha opened a separate shop called Rainbow Women’s Outfits in 2017 that exclusively deals in donated gowns and dresses for young women from poor families. The brides-to-be pay nothing and can choose up to three outfits, as most Indian weddings incorporate at least three separate events. The chosen garments are then dry cleaned, altered for size and can be kept once the wedding is over, or donated back to the shop.
I wanted them to have a choice because all their lives, they have worn hand me downs
“I make enough money from selling my outfits to women,” Sabitha said. “Once in a while, I used to donate a bridal gown to girls from poor families, but they had to accept what I gave. They had no choice. I wanted them to have a choice because all their lives, they have worn hand me downs.”