Would you like to marry me?
Here is some interesting news. Well, interesting if you are planning on getting married and buying a glamorous frock in which to walk down the aisle.
Yesterday I visited a gorgeous showroom (or atelier if you want to be impressive) tucked down a side street in the heart of Bloomsbury. Tammam is a destination for exquisitely handcrafted dresses, recycled jewellery and bespoke fashion.
I know. You are probably asking yourself why FGV is giving airtime to high end wedding gowns. It just so happens an upcoming event held in the showroom caught my attention.
Tammam are hosting a bridal event that is rather unique for London. On Saturday October 19th, 2013 from 10am, wedding enthusiasts can talk to industry experts and independent designers, caterers and suppliers.
So what, right?
Well, the kick in this piece of news is the fact that the food suppliers on the day will be vegan, shoe creators will be able to talk to you about creating vegan footwear, a milliner on hand can create one-off vegan headpieces and Tammam themselves will have vegan wedding dresses for interested parties to try on.
Event organiser Lucy Tammam was keen to stress to me all the suppliers have been chosen for their eco and ethical credentials as well as their craftsmanship and high quality. All of the food suppliers are vegan and all other suppliers are able to offer vegan options.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
On a side note, there was a topic I discussed with Lucy that I would love to hear your opinions on. Have you all heard of peace silk?
Peace silk is marketed as cruelty free. Apparently no moths are killed in the sourcing of materials. As a vegan who goes out of my way to avoid anything made from animal by-products, I am not yet convinced there are procedures enforced to ensure this industry is completely harm-free.
Lucy Tammam told me, “Our peace silks are monitored as much as possible. We have a very open and transparent supply chain and in most cases can trace back to who supplied the fibre to who did the finishing for each garment. Some of our silks are “better” than others (we had to start somewhere!) but all have been sourced and assured as silks that have been spun from empty cocoons where the moth had emerged alive. I am constantly working on the supply chain and meeting new suppliers who I am confident are providing me with peace silk that is truly cruelty free.”
She continued, “It is something I personally believe in very strongly and I have dedicated the last eight years to developing my supply chain and ensuring it is not only respectful to animals but also humans and the planet. I only work with peace silks and non animal alternatives (cotton, vintage rayon, synthetic laces and tulles etc) all of the highest quality.”
Peace silk wedding dress – is it vegan?
Lucy concluded, “We are very open to working with each individual client and understand everyone has different beliefs. We have wonderful alternatives for strict vegans who do not want any animal products at all.”
This is a topic that fascinates me and I would love to hear about other experiences with peace silk. Is the silk a harmless by-product or is it needed by moths for other purposes? Are the moths bred? Where do the moths go once they emerge? Personally, I feel the commodification of any creature is a no go zone, but I am keen to hear all perspectives.
Vegan cotton wedding dress by Tammam
Tammam is certainly the only high end wedding gown producer I have heard of in London to be creating vegan dresses. Enjoy the event if you attend and please pop back to share your thoughts.
And of course, post your thoughts on peace silk below!
Hee hee would love to marry you….I have bought peace silk before or humane silk as it was called and was ambivalent about it and still am so now simply avoid silk. You have raised some interesting questions I too would love to hear the answers to. Thanks for the post.
I don’t have any opinion on peace silk in particular, but I do think this kind of event should be celebrated and promoted among the veg community, even if everyone isn’t %100 on board with all of the ideas. Weddings are huge and as such this is a geat endeavour and I wish them all the best, indeed as someone who really has no personal interest in ever getting married ;-D
Interesting, I have never heard of peace silk but for what it’s worth I would regard it in much the same way as I do the use of eggs from rescue hens – this particular instance of the product may not be directly harming the animals, but it does perpetuate the notion that these products are necessary. It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s till on a different road than the one vegans have chosen to walk down.
I think the idea of a vegan wedding fair is awesome, so good to hear that more people are becoming vegan aware and that the people starting up these businesses really care about animals and the environment. I don’t really like the idea of silk though and I know I can easily live without it, and if I do get married one day I will probably opt for man made fibres however I still think it is great that these guys are doing what they are doing 🙂 x
I thought you were talking about PEA silk the other day and assumed it was called that because was lumpy! Now I see what they’ve done there with ‘peace’.
Could you let me know who makes bespoke vegan shoes? Breeze block shaped feet + can’t buy leather = getting to point of wrapping feet in bin bags
You will need to contact the boutique and ask them about their shoe contact.
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