by Alanna Pawlowski

Since the creation of her business three years ago, Lori Del Genis has strived to craft beautiful wedding dresses that stay true to her values of respect for both the environment and its people, every step of the way.

It is this commitment that ensures the gowns in Conscious Elegance, located in State College, are made locally with organic and fair trade fabrics and threads that come from sources who also respect human rights.

“Because the company is 100 percent green…we have to use things that are too,” Del Genis said. “I make sure that everything is eco-friendly and that the companies don’t have shady dealings; no sweatshops.”

Del Genis labels her fabrics organic only if she has a third party certification to prove it, she said.

Del Genis, who had been making dresses in her free time for nearly 20 years, got the inspiration for Conscious Elegance after a quest to find her own ethically-made wedding dress gave her a glimpse into an industry tarnished by harmful chemicals, poor labor practices and retail mark-up. Del Genis revealed even more about the not-so-gorgeous side of wedding gowns as she looked into starting her own bridal business, something friends had been urging her to do.

“As I started doing the research, I started finding out about the sweatshops and pesticides and herbicides,” Del Genis said. “I’m reading this and my heart is just in my throat. I couldn’t look myself in the mirror and know I was making a living on this. I just couldn’t.”

And so, Del Genis opened Conscious Elegance in England in 2007, and moved it to its current location in State College in early 2010. Since then, Del Genis has been providing the local and worldwide community with bridal wear that is ‘eco-chic’ and that does not conflict with her value of sustainability.

“I needed to do this for my own self-respect,” said Del Genis. “I couldn’t add to the misery, that’s why it is so important that everything done in the business is done as absolutely green as it can be.”

Del Genis offers original collections of dozens of ‘green’ bridal gowns, and will even make them custom for clients who have something specific in mind, she said.

Clients can choose from a variety of colors of fabrics, which include blends of organic cotton, hemp and silk, as well as organic bamboo satin.

The requirements Del Genis has for her business can make it difficult for her to find some of the materials she would like to use.

“Because I’m limited in my fabric, I have to be even more creative in my designs,” Del Genis said. “I want to make the world prettier, but I want to do so in a sustainable way.”

The fabrics and all materials in her dresses are produced sustainably. Del Genis finds reclaimed zippers for those customers who request back zippers rather than adjustable lace tie-ups. She is also currently looking to find a sustainable type of boning to help support strapless dresses. She doesn’t currently use any because most boning is made from steel or plastic rather than natural materials.

Also, for customers who want the materials in their dresses to last for more than just that special day, Del Genis offers to tailor gowns into a cocktail dress or use the fabric to create children’s gowns after the wedding. According to her, the durable hemp fabric blends she uses help with that, because they are machine washable.

Del Genis said she understands some people don’t have big wedding budgets, so she tries to avoid the price mark-up that can be found in retail stores. Dresses in her 2010 collection range from $884 to $1,109, with full service packages available that include detailed fittings, post-wedding tailoring, and a private dress log with real-time photo updates. Overall, Del Genis said, her business is very people-based.

“Wedding planning is so stressful, so I want at least their wedding dress experience to be wonderful,” Del Genis said. “[My customers] want their marriage to be about values and sustainability, and so for them to be able to incorporate that into their wedding is just so cool.”