After the wedding celebrations fade, many brides find themselves wondering what to do with their dress. With growing awareness about sustainability, wearing an expensive gown just once feels increasingly wasteful.

One creative solution? Dyeing the dress—a choice made by Tori Smith, a beauty marketing executive who married in August 2024. “After my wedding, I saw another bride who had dyed her dress, and I loved the idea,” she tells Vogue. That bride was Gemma Sort Chilvers, whose pale pink gown went viral after being featured in the magazine last year.

Luckily for Smith, The Own Studio—the London label behind both brides’ dresses—reached out to ask if she’d like to test their new dyeing service, launching this month in partnership with Glasgow-based natural dyer Cavan Jayne.

“Rewearability was one of the reasons we started our label,” explain co-founders Jess Kaye and Rosie Williams. “The next step was creating an in-house service to make this possible for our customers, handling everything from dyeing to alterations.”

Smith agreed to try the service, called Own Again. She first selected a color from digital swatches, then received fabric samples matching her dress to visualize the final look. The process was smooth thanks to The Own Studio’s use of natural materials. “Own designs take dye beautifully,” says Jayne.

Smith chose a deep pink for her strapless silk-mikado gown (style 053), which she’d originally picked for its modern feel. “I wanted to keep the dress—it felt wasteful not to reuse it,” she says. She also had it shortened for everyday wear. “I love the idea of giving it a second life, something I can wear again and again.”

The revamped dress made its debut at a friend’s recent London wedding—though no one initially recognized it as her bridal gown. “Only one person asked if it was the same brand,” Smith recalls. “When I told them it was my actual wedding dress, they were surprised but loved the idea.”

Kaye and Williams hope more brides will follow Smith’s lead. “Your wedding gown is special—and often a big investment,” they say. “It deserves to be loved and reworn for years.”

The Own Again service launches this month, starting at £900 ($1,200).