Kirkcaldy wedding designer launches new brand of eco-friendly bridal gowns

Mirka Jankowska, who owns Mirka Bridal Couture in the town’s Commercial Street, launched the new brand at the end of January this year.

The move comes after Mirka and her team of volunteers from across Scotland made over 15,000 sets of scrubs for NHS workers across the country as the coronavirus crisis took hold.

Mirka normally used her materials to design bespoke bridal gowns, but instead made sure that nurses, doctors and other frontline health staff had the sanitary clothing they needed during the first few months of the pandemic.

Her shop became a hub to support the national effort which involved 400 volunteers across Scotland who volunteered their skills in order to make the much-needed medical scrubs for the NHS.

The group was known as NHS Scotland For The Love of Scrubs, which, at one stage, had over 9000 requests for scrubs from hospitals and from other healthcare sector staff.

Now Mirka, who was recognised for her efforts when she was a finalist in the Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year 2020 awards, has launched a new brand of eco-friendly bridal gowns in her latest venture.

She explained where the idea for the new brand came from: “The last couple of years made me look at the world differently,” Mirka said.

"I saw nature that revived when we stopped destroying it for a while. Out of concern for our planet I decided that my new brand needs to be made sustainably, there was no way I could justify any other way for a new product to enter the market.

"I have worked with manufacturers to create the most beautiful laces using recycled materials and I made a conscious choice to keep productions here, in Scotland."

But what makes this brand different from other wedding dresses?

Mirka said: “We are the first bridal designer to make a full collection of wedding dresses using only recycled fabrics. I wanted to bring this sort of innovation into the bridal industry seeing as people are becoming more conscious of the impact we have on the planet.“The dresses are also very unique. It’s a different take on bridal - I noticed a lot of brides look for comfort and not just the looks, so we opened to ditch the traditional boning and make dresses that amplify the female form and beauty without overpowering.“The dresses are made using unique lace - it’s stretchy, comfortable, and easy to pack up for an elopement or wedding abroad!”

Mirka added: “Our dresses are made from recycled fabrics that are giving a new life to plastic bottles and waste. This combined with our ethical production style, I believe it is better for the environment.“We do not mass produce which means we don’t create access waste. It is so important that we step away from fast fashion and over-production.

"Our brides will be confident in knowing that their With Love, Mirka gown is handmade specifically for them.”

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