“It got all of us thinking about how we could create a group to swap, rent out, or donate ball dresses.”
Jada says the cost of attending a ball can be expensive
“Some people can’t afford a new dress, never mind hair, make-up, shoes and jewellery on top of that.”
As well as keeping the cost of the ball down, Heidi says the group aims to stop the trend of fast-fashion, by reusing ball dresses.
“Girls tend to only wear their ball dress once so it’s practically new and still has plenty of life left in it. Instead of buying a new dress, people can swap theirs for another dress or donate their dress to give it new life and help someone attend the ball.”
Xanthe says the dresses are posted to the Facebook group so students can view the dresses and see details such as sizing and any marks.
“People can post the dress directly or contact one of us to put a post up for them. When asking about a dress, people can message the person directly who posted it. This means their comment isn’t public and they can discuss the dress in private.”
Attending a school ball is part of the high school experience, Jada says.
“Everyone deserves to get dressed up and go to their school ball. We want to eliminate the barriers that come with expenses and also help our environment by helping to stop fast fashion.”
Heidi says the group has received some dress donations already and the girls are hoping for more before their school ball in August.
“If you just want to rent the dress for the night, or give it to someone to use the page is the place to do it. It’s a massive help for our students to make sure everyone gets the ball experience.”
If people don’t have Facebook, they can still donate, says Heidi.
“Just call into the office and drop off the ball dresses there.”
The Details:
What: SHS Ball Dress Donation/ Swap Facebook Group
Where: Find SHS Ball Dress Donations/Swap on Facebook
Contact: Stratford High School office 06 765 6039 Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
