Antiform x You – The rebirth of your favourite fabric for a unique custom-made dress. Antiform invite you to be a part of the process…

Have you ever wanted to commission a custom made dress? A frock formed from fabrics that you love, with a perfect fit AND completely unique?  Antiform have used their usual ingenuity to come up with the goods to enable you to do just that, for exactly the same price as their standard Folk Dress.

I found Antiform after doing some research on sustainable design to match my intentions of shopping ethically and sustainably. I identified with their counter capitalist culture and their approach definitely ticked some boxes for style which I felt was lacking a bit from other ethically sourced clothing. Their clothes gave something a bit more edgy and playful to my wardrobe, which I think comes from the creativity of the brand.

If, like me you love the narrative of clothes, you can play a part in the creation of the custom made dress. I loved the idea of a bespoke dress for a totally reasonable price and with an event season (of gigs, birthdays and holidays) fast approaching I got in touch to commission something special to get an Antiform fix. Antiform x You enables you to weave your own tale of personal history, emotion and fabric together to create something new which you will love, cherish, wear and make new happy memories with. I have a mass of clothes that I will never part with; the dress I wore to the ball with my great friend, the dress gifted me by my French friends’ mum, the dress I wore to tatters through my first pregnancy. By the same token I have pieces of cloth that I’m keeping for a project or have come from other places; my daughter’s dress – long grown out of, my son’s linen trousers he wore to a special wedding,  a pair of 60’s psychedelic curtain fabric found in a charity shop.   Wouldn’t it be amazing to give these pieces of cloth a new life and let them live again?

Now you can. With just a swatch of fabric (sized at least 41cm x 43cm) you can create a story of your own with Antiform x You.  The Antiform staff based in Bristol use the design and silhouette of the Folk dress and will cut, sew and makeup the dress for you from scratch, with input from you about the fabric choices.

About the dress;

The Folk dress is a style which uses blocked panels to create a shape designed to fit and flatter all. Its design has been developed over several years and collections, experimenting with a number of fabrics to create a silhouette which is flattering and flexible. Each blocked panel and trim you can pick and choose from a selection from the Antiform archive (built up over a number of years of fabrics too good to waste).  The waistband is a firm stretchy material which cinches in the waist to give a flattering shape while being really comfy to move around (and eat that second helping of pud)! The skirt section is fitted and pencil in shape, but again made up of stretchy fabric: perfect for dancing around to your favourite music!

About the process;

To get things started, pop through an inquiry on the Antiform x You Folk Dress page.

First of all you’ll need to choose your size – size 1, 2 or 3 (see sizing details for more information) – or let the staff know if you need a custom size.

Then it’s time to get designing! In order to get an idea of the general scheme of the dress; Antiform will ask you a few questions – what particular colours do you love? Is there a particular tone you want to avoid against your skin colour? What kind of occasion do you envisage wearing the dress for – do you like a smidgen of sparkle or need something trusty for day to day wear?

The unique bit is that if you have a piece of fabric you own which you’d like to incorporate into the dress, you can incorporate it into your design. Show it to Antiform (you can email a photo, send a swatch, or even visit the studio if you’re Bristolian) so they can use their design know-how to help coordinate the piece with your other selections.

If you don’t have a piece of fabric you want to incorporate into the dress, you can still advise the Antiform staff (usually Kate or Lizzie!) on the look, colour and pattern you are seeking and they’ll happily send you details of items from their extensive archive to match your preference. The team will help guide you in your choices by providing swatched and mocked up images of the options you’ve narrowed down. Here’s the mockup sheet Kate sent to me, when we were collaborating on my dress!

Once the design is finalised, all that’s left to do is make payment – Antiform will send you an invoice for you to safely pay online.

Antiform will give you a date of when your dress will be ready – usually within 14 days of design completion (but don’t forget if it’s for a special occasion or a gift let them know and give yourself plenty of time to make choices!)

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Antiform x You gives you the opportunity to have a custom-made dress, manufactured and sourced in England, in a lovely studio in Bristol, using reclaimed materials. Don’t forget choosing where to spend our money impacts where our money stays and grows too. So, if you like you could view the Antiform x You as more than just an investment in your wardrobe. You’ll be supporting a small local business who believe in sustainable manufacture too.

Here’s mine!