<div><main data-testid="main-content" id="main-content"><article><header></header><div data-component="image-block"><figure><p><span><picture><source srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg.webp 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg.webp 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg.webp 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg.webp 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg.webp 800w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg.webp 976w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="Bride and groom are holding their hands of each other. The groom is wearing a cream white outfit with a sparkly red and the bride is wearing a maroon outfit with intricate silver and golden designs, with orange and red coloured henna on the front of her hands." height="549" loading="eager" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg 800w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/9912/production/_132168193_gettyimages-891181274.jpg 976w" width="976"></img></picture></span><span role="text"><span>Image source, </span>Getty Images</span></p><figcaption><span>Image caption, </span><p>Outfits for South Asian weddings tend to be a sparkly affair</p></figcaption></figure></div><div data-component="byline-block"><div><div><div><p>By Tania Sangha</p><p>BBC Asian Network</p></div></div></div></div><div data-component="text-block"><p><b>Food, dance, decor and, of course, extravagant outfits. It tends to be a lavish affair when it comes to big fat Asian weddings.</b></p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>It can cost hundreds, sometimes thousands, for bright, sparkly South Asian outfits, even though they're often worn once before being packed away into boxes and left to gather dust.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>But as BBC Asian Network's been finding out, some people have been turning to "pre-loved" as an alternative that might be better for the environment - and your bank balance.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Anoli Mehta has used the concept for Asian wear, after spending a fortune on new outfits over a long summer full of weddings.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"At the end of the year I was sitting on 10 outfits that realistically I wasn't going to wear again," she says. </p></div><div data-component="image-block"><figure><p><span><span></span></span><span role="text"><span>Image source, </span>Sheena Sabharwal Photography</span></p><figcaption><span>Image caption, </span><p>Anoli Mehta says people are starting to give their Asian outfits a new lease of life</p></figcaption></figure></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>There has been some criticism that renting clothes might not be as sustainable as people think.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Transport accounts for a huge chunk of the UK's carbon emissions and, with billions of parcels delivered each year, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47654950">online orders contribute</a> to that.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>But Anoli thinks there's a benefit when considering the lengths some people currently go to in order to purchase their dazzling gear.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"Buying outfits is time-consuming," she says. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"It's costly and many people end up flying to India or Pakistan [to buy them] which has a huge impact on the environment."</p></div><div data-component="image-block"><figure><p><span><span></span></span><span role="text"><span>Image source, </span>Getty Images</span></p><figcaption><span>Image caption, </span><p>Intricate patterns on wedding outfits are common in South Asian weddings</p></figcaption></figure></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>While second-hand clothing apps in general have seen a rise in usage, some feel the platforms have not been as fruitful over the years for South Asian clothes.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>People like Amna Saeed have put their outfits on those more mainstream sites without much luck.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>She was trying to resell her bridal lehenga - a colourful, long, ankle-length skirt paired with a blouse - which was "gathering dust in the closet".</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"I wasn't really expecting to sell it [there] and thought nobody would buy it because it isn't new," says Amna, from Windsor.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>But she then came across a similar platform - dedicated to South Asian fashion - and her outfit was sold within three weeks.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>She was able to make back just under half of what she originally paid for it, eight years on from her special day.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"I have so many clothes for weddings and Eid outfits that I've literally worn once so I think I'll have to clear them out," she says.</p></div><div data-component="image-block"><figure><p><span><span></span></span><span role="text"><span>Image source, </span>Mohammed Ali </span></p><figcaption><span>Image caption, </span><p>Mohammed was inspired to create his own platform after his own wedding left him with plenty of outfits to move on</p></figcaption></figure></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>The app Amna used to sell her outfit was co-founded by 28-year-old Mohammed Ali.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>He created Dazzle and Bloom in 2021, after noticing a gap in the market following his own wedding.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"Initially we started off by looking for a platform where we can sell our Asian clothes and nothing was really made for us," he says.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"With Asian parties we're just so big and flamboyant in everything we do." </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>But he feels people are now also "thinking about sustainability and the cost of living".</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Like Mohammed, Anoli has also started her own platform and thinks more culture-specific websites can encourage people to take up "pre-loved" wear.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Since starting Circular Threads, Anoli says she's noticed "people truly understanding that outfits do live more than one life".</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"It was humbling seeing mothers turning up with their daughters and asking: 'Why haven't we done this before?'"</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p><i>Listen to Ankur Desai's show on BBC Asian Network </i><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_asian_network">live</a><i> from 15:00-18:00 Monday to Thursday - or listen back </i><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00106nk/episodes/player">here</a>.</p></div></article></main></div>