Dreaming of a Bespoke Bridal Dress in My Closet I Can Wear Multiple Times
A special look into the Ferrah SS26 “Spiral” collection
During her first year at Parsons School of Design in 2013, designer Lela Orr’s outlook on fashion changed forever as she witnessed the Rana Plaza disaster happening in Bangladesh. Orr then took a zero waste patterning class in 2014 and has since incorporated designing zero-waste styles in her bridal collections. She believes that sustainability within fashion should exist as the norm and she follows this philosophy with her bridal label, Ferrah.
When asked why the bridal space, Orr answered that she wants to stay in a space that keeps her inspired. All of her pieces are inspired by and named after women in her life, and she enjoys the process of working with brides and bringing confidence through the tactile experience of wearing her designs. She also believes in breaking wedding dress rules and traditions and has included color in her past collection through indigo dye. Her pieces can also be adapted into an everyday wardrobe breaking the typical one-time dress wear.
Orr references and stays grounded in antique foundation wear and, more specifically, Edwardian corsetry. Inspired by her 90s childhood, she cited 90s YSL and Vivienne Westwood as references that she’s currently drawing on.
Ferrah’s Spring/Summer 2026 Spiral collection is romantic, contemporary, and contains figments of the past. Inspired by sacred geometry that runs through nature, the pieces represent memories that expand past linear timeline and history, tying together experiences of joy and femininity. On a technical level, her construction of the gowns also takes geometry into consideration with circles and rectangles as the foundation. With an emphasis on tactility, all natural fibers, and the human touch in each step of the garment-making process, the gowns in this collection bring comfort and sustainability to the bridal space without sacrificing elegance and beauty. None of the scrap fabrics were thrown out but rather repurposed in the creation of this collection. The Spiral theme ties all the individual gowns with their own stories together beautifully. The entire collection is hand-sewn and hand-pleated.
Upon entering the room at the Bowery Hotel, I was immediately drawn to the gowns hanging from the windows. The details, silhouette, and variations were something I haven’t seen in the wedding space, and the fabric to the construction being zero waste was even rarer. The gowns were meticulously made with care and love that drew me into the fantasy. I kept thinking I wanted to try some of the pieces on myself and have them in my wardrobe rotation. To have a beautiful bespoke piece that’s adaptable to my closet would be a dream.
Sustainable Baddie viewed the Leslie, Gillian, Joelle, and Rachael at the showing. Being part one of two of the collection, we were told that there will be more to come in the summer.
On the future of Ferrah, Orr hopes that her brand can continue to grow while being unapologetically sustainable and bespoke.
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