What Happens to These Gorgeous Red Carpet Dresses After Celebrities Wear Them?

Let’s be honest, red carpet fashion coverage, reviews and commentary many times upstages the main purpose of the event. Take the example of Kampala’s glitzy Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards where a generous number of hours are dedicated to the red carpet razzmatazz before the event kicks off at 10pm. The other, albeit being unpopular, is that of the 2018 grand finale of Miss Uganda, where we covered what Zari and Anita Fabiola wore more than the young ladies who were competing for the crown. Watching famous people strut away in expensive clothing has become real entertainment.

Red carpet events are always a big spectacle; well-paid celebrities and socialites descend upon the red carpet outfitted in floor-grazing gowns to celebrate whatever the event is about. They spend weeks preparing; designer appointments, fittings and more fittings, before sitting for hours doing hair and makeup prior to the event. This ultimately explains the fascination around the whole idea of red carpet fashion.

Because these events are usually just a few hours long, the question has always been: What happens to the red carpet gowns after celebrities wear them?

To answer this, we need to first understand why people pull all the stops to make a statement on the red carpet. Priscilla Ray, an ex-glamour model and businesswoman, who wore a dramatic tulle gown from Kai’s Divo Collection to the Abryanz Style & Fashion Awards explains why it’s such a big deal to walk to the red carpet.

“It’s your [public figure] opportunity to shine,” she says. “As a celebrity, you can use the carpet appearances to cultivate, grow, and sometimes change your brand. In other words a red carpet can be used to guide public perception of a celebrity,” she explains.

This makes the event a public relations project rather than a fun party where one goes to take beautiful photographs. The return on investment being the buzz and publicity that follows the celebrity soon after the red carpet is rolled out.

 “These are pictures that are going to flood the internet so it’s important that you have your act together,” Sharon O says. The Big Brother alum wore a voluminous Fatumahasha gown to the event.

Away from celebrities, red carpet events are a big publicity opportunity for designers. It is reported that in Hollywood, designers fork out thousands of dollars to pay top-tier celebrities to wear their designs to glitzy events such as the Oscars and the Met Gala. In Kampala, a number of designers reach out to celebrities to ‘collaborate’ on red carpets looks they feel would be of great value to both the celebrity and the designer.

But what happens to these gowns and dresses after the event? Are they put on sale? What do the celebrities do with them, because it’s impossible to notice one who will re-wear the dress even for a small intimate family event?

We reached out to a few celebrities and designer for answers.

Malaika, the on-air personality who has been outfitted by almost all the A-list designers in Uganda, says that “many of these gowns are here collecting dust in my wardrobe because they are so dear to me.” “Others I give out, I rent out, sell, re-design and wear again while some are returned to the designers,” she explains.

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When asked if some of the gowns are returned to her, Fatumah Asha replied in the affirmative. The couturier, who is responsible for many of the red carpet gowns we see, confirms that some of the gowns are returned. “Some of those of gowns are returned to us since they’ve served their purpose, no celebrity would re-wear a gown like that again.” “We either sell them the way they are or alter them and put on the market,” she explains.

One of Fatumah Asha’s standout looks at the ASFAs was a form fitting white dress adorned with pearls worn by Judith Heard. When we reached out to Mrs. Heard for a comment, she confirmed that the dress, as much as she loved it to bits, was going to be returned to the designer.

“I never keep the gowns because I never re-wear anything, so after the event, the gown is returned to the designer,” she laughs. “As a public figure, once a dress has been worn, it has served its purpose. There’s no way I can re-wear it. And keeping it in my house is a waste of space and resources. I return it to the designer who alters it for a client who in this case shouldn’t be a celebrity,” she explains.

Closet space isn’t an issue for Pia Pounds though. The singer, who wore two dramatic looks to the Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards, says that she keeps some of the looks in her closet ‘for future projects’ and returns the others to the designer.  When asked if she has enough space to accommodate five or more gowns as frothy as the yellow Dyna Vence gown she wore to the ASFAs, the star says that her closet is super huge.

Would any of them re-wear a design? Pia Pounds says NEVER. “Red carpet pictures go viral, there’s no way I’d re-wear a gown. Even if I arrived to the event late and just a handful of photographers took shots of it.

At this point, the subject of novelty is too hard to ignore. Doesn’t this quest for novelty cast a lot of pressure upon the celebrities? Mrs. Heard agrees that the pressure can be a tad too much sometimes, but that’s how the industry works.

“You have to re-invent yourself with every appearance and look. There’s no way I’d re-wear a gown I wore in 2017 to a 2020 event. How have I evolved then?” she asks.

Malaika explains that the feeling of wearing a new look is always exciting. “It’s also a sign of respect to my clients or event organizers. It’s also an excuse to feel like a queen, princess or superstar for yet another day in my amazingly crafted outfit,” she says. She, however, can’t rule out the pressure involved. “It’s draining and nerve wrecking, but still worth it.”

Summing it all up, it’s great to hear that many of these gowns are re-used, albeit for different clients. The topic of sustainability is very heated in fashion right now. So much money and resources are involved in making these looks, it would be unfair to the environment (and the economy) if they are worn once and dumped in the trash can for our soil and Lake Victoria to suffer.

hassan@satisfashionug.com