A woman is looking for a clothing designer to sew her late mum’s hair into a replica of her mother’s wedding dress.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted an online garment production platform asking them to find a manufacturer to recreate her late mum’s wedding dress, a ballroom-style gown from the 1950s.
While the cut of the dress is fairly straightforward, there is an unusual design feature – the woman wants her late mum’s hair (she has a box full of it) to be sewn along the hemlines and neckline, as well as woven into the bodice.
While she admits the request is a bit bizarre, her motivation is meaningful. “My mother passed away recently and I’d like to create a special memento of her life,” the woman wrote in a letter to Sewport.
“The dress will serve as this, however I need a specialist as the material I’d like to create it from is admittedly quite weird.”
The woman said she began collecting her mum’s hair in 2014 when she found out she was ill. After four years of collecting, she now has a box full of the stuff.
“At the time I wasn’t sure why I was collecting it, however now I think I do,” she explained.
“I’d like the dress to be made with my mother’s hair intertwined into the dress design. I want the dress to be authentic to the time, with the sleeves, bottom trim and neckline collar completely made from my mother’s hair.
“I’d also like the bodice around the midsection of the dress to have a lacy, floral design made with the hair.”
The woman acknowledged it was a “strange request” and due to the unusual nature she has set aside £15,000 to make it happen. “Ideally it will be ready for August next year, which will be the anniversary of her passing,” she added.
Sewport’s founder Boris Hodakel told HuffPost UK they’ve already had responses to the request – “all sorts of people, even wig specialists”.
“We’ve passed these onto the lady behind the request so she can get in touch with them directly,” he added.