Shein and Abercrombie are disrupting the $14 billion bridal gown market with cheap dresses—but where brides save, the world is paying full price

The gowns, many of which are selling for under $200, are feeding a fire of Gen Zers and millennials hopeful to save upwards of thousands of dollars on a dress they’ll likely only wear once. But the trend also raises concerns about sustainability efforts, as the fast fashion industry is notoriously wasteful. 

Abercrombie, which underwent a metamorphosis in its shift away from overtly sexualized marketing in 2015, launched its wedding shop, a collection of over 100 clothing pieces for brides, in March. The collection is meant to be a “destination for brides, bachelorettes and guests looking for the perfect outfit for any wedding related event,” and includes “dresses and jumpsuits for wedding guests, swimsuits and cover ups,” according to a statement by Corey Robinson, the company’s chief product officer. The pieces are all priced from $80 to $150, just a fraction of the average $2,000 Americans spend on wedding gowns. 

Forever 21 debuted its first bridal collection in April, offering clothing like dresses, sleepwear, and on-trend accessories (think embellished cowboy hats, hair clips and bows) all priced under $47.99. 

California-based Lulus, another fast-fashion chain, also opened its first bridal boutique in Los Angeles in February. The aim of the boutique, which prices dresses between $100 to $270, is to help brides attain a “luxurious look without breaking their budgets,” according to a statement by the company’s CEO Crystal Landsem.

And Shein, which launched in 2012 and has since become a fast-fashion behemoth as the world’s biggest online-only fast-fashion seller, also has a bridal collection of hundreds of wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses, which on average cost between $50 and $100. The fashion giant also announced it will hold its first wedding-focused pop-up in Las Vegas on Memorial Day weekend, where 30 couples who register for the event to have the opportunity to get “Vegas-hitched,” a non-legally binding marriage officiated by stars of the Netflix reality show “Love is Blind,” Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton, while wearing complimentary wedding attire sold on Shein. 

To be sure, the global wedding-gown market is growing: The $14 billion industry is expected to reach $18 billion by 2027, according to a report by Information Technology IT News. But as more brides prioritize affordability in their wedding plans, it’s also important to also consider global sustainability. The term “fast fashion” was coined by The New York Times to describe retail brand Zara’s mission to take a garment from its design stage to shops in just 15 days—but the speed hides a darker truth about the industry’s wastefulness, which wrecks environmental havoc through intensive use of water, microplastics, and energy. 

The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water—and that consumption is plentiful, considering it takes about 700 gallons to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. Textile dying, too, is the world’s second-largest polluter of water, Business Insider reported, as leftover dyed water is often dumped into ditches and rivers. 

Beyond that, the synthetic fibers many fast-fashion companies rely on, like polyester, nylon and acrylic, take hundreds of years to biodegrade due to the presence of microplastics, or tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastic. A 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature report estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from laundering and washing synthetic textiles like polyester.