Sanyukta Shrestha: 2020 Autumn Daydream Collection of Eco + Ethical Wedding Dresses

How absolutely delighted I am to be welcoming Thursday with this exquisite little article dedicated to one of my very favourite eco bridal fashion designers, Sanyukta Shrestha.

For those of you new to our pages, this Nepalese born, now London based designer is a leader in the ethical bridal fashion field. She has been in business for around 8 years now (I have been writing about her for almost 7 of those) and from the off, her USP and primary focus has been to create ethical bridal fashion, which pretty much makes her the original eco wedding dress designer.

These gorgeous images arrived only a few days ago, hot off the press, through an email brimming with excitement, and I feel hard for them within a nano-second. The photographer, a new name for me (hello Mr Elkins!) has done the most wonderful job of capturing the spirit and vibe of this collection of modern, flattering shapes that ooze contemporary sophistication.

Images by Kev Elkins

In creating this collection, Sanyukta drew a huge amount of inspiration from the peaceful grounds that surround her home, a charming 200 year old Georgian Manor, positioned within five acres of enchanting natural landscape, nestled within the Lincolnshire Wolds (a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Pretty pastel skies and warm tones of Autumn leaves played backdrop for this editorial campaign.

“As a nature lover, I am charmed by the tranquility that surrounds my home. All seasons pass by over the years,  but I couldn’t stop falling in love with the romanticism of Autumn. I waited until the end of October for the leaves to be turning with shades of golden yellow and orange and to naturally fall, to capture the whole beauty of my collection, in which ‘Autumn’ itself is such a key inspiration.”

Sanyukta has woven a sense of nostalgia within these designs, which were hugely inspired by the “extraordinary beauty of nature”. The collection, named ‘Autumn Daydreaming’ is a love-letter to her favourite season and through her designs, she explores the concepts of romanticism and innocence (by the way, the beautiful little girl within these images, is Sanyukta’s own daughter. A future supermodel in the making if ever there was one!)

Sanyukta very much had the more free-spirited bride in mind when designing this collection – brides that, she says, “believe in living life to the fullest and experiencing as much of it as they can”. This is evident through details like those wonderfully flirtatious ruffles, and more sensuous detail like thigh gaps and open backs.

She was also inspired by work of John Keats and his poem, ‘To Autumn’. 

Staying true to her long-term commitment to zero waste, sustainability and ethical fabrics/production processes, these new designs for 2020 reveal Sanyukta’s most beautiful and eco-conscious collection to date. Even this editorial campaign was produced with eco friendly floral installation. Cruelty-free beauty products were used and vintage furniture over 100 years old was used too. The concepts of recycling and upcycling are hugely important to Sanyukta and her brand.

Signature to Sanyukta’s whole brand is her luxurious organic fair-trade fabrics that are produced by artisan communities in her home country of Nepal.

Our gowns are made from eco fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp silk, milk, silk and bamboo. Sanyukta Shrestha

“The fabrics used in my collections have skin nourishing properties. Each style within my collection follows ecologically green guidelines, with fabrics from ethical and Fairtrade certified producers around the world and more than 50% of these fabrics are sourced from Nepal itself.”

By the way, those milk silk dresses are beyond sublime – the most softest silk you ever will feel.

The collection as a whole comprises 14 beautiful designs each of which make a statement in its own right – they are daring yet elegant, sophisticated yet completely wearable. The detail is so well considered, but it is all about the shapes and silhouettes for me this time. They are sensational – a real nod to the modernity of bridal fashion with an ever present air of gracefulness.

The all-Autumn inspired dress names are Autumn, Amber, Rhea, Orla, Persephone, Maple, Laurel, Bruna, Annona, Saffron, Aspen, Jora, Tessa, Octevia, Aluma, Arista and Gaia.

Sanyukta says her design muse doesn’t follow fashion, instead preferring to make a a statement that embraces her own individuality.

The set of images is the work of a creative team who are each based in Lincoln and were personally handpicked by Sanyukta to work with her on this project – and showcase some fo the area’s most talented wedding professionals (full credits provided at the end of this article).

I adore the natural beauty vibes (and perfect brows) – the entire shoot concept has such a beautiful and cohesive feel and vibe.

We’ve featured a number of really interesting articles for Sanyukta in recent times that I think will be of interest to you. Do take a moment to read them if you can, they provide a wonderful portrait of a designer who cares deeply about the environment, and they share great insight into how ethical wedding dresses are produced:-

• Ethical silk + peace silk wedding dresses: everything you need to know
• Ethical wedding dress appointments – what to expect, what to wear and who to take with you
• A beautiful curvy bride in an ethical wedding dress by Sanyukta Shrestha
• The ultimate guide to ethical wedding dresses
• Why go ethical when choosing your wedding dress?
• Shoe designer Freya Roses’s wedding day (she wore a Sanyukta Shrestha gown)
• An interview with Sanyukta Shrestha
• Beautiful and sustainable vegan wedding dresses
• Going bespoke and eco-friendly with your wedding dress
• Ethical wedding dress production

But it’s all very well looking at gorgeous photographs – Sanyukta’s flagship store ‘Behuli’, within which this entire and all past collections are housed, is located in Fulham.

Over the past few years, Behuli has become a popular destination for brides looking for designers producing ethical and eco friendly designs for brides.

Sanyukta and her team warmly invite you to the boutique to try on as many gowns as you might like. You’ll find full contact details here.

I would like to thank Sanyukta and her team for trust me to share this truly gorgeous new collection with you all today.

If supporting independent, eco-conscious designers is as important to you as supporting the environment, you simply have to add Sanyukta to your list of dress designers to find out more about and arrange a visit to. I can promise you without any hesitate or doubt, you will not regret it.

Annabel x