If you’ve started shopping for your wedding dress, you’ve probably heard the term sample dress mentioned at bridal boutiques. But what exactly is a sample wedding dress, and should you consider buying one? Here’s everything you need to know to decide if a sample (or ex sample to be more specific!) is right for you!
Let's start at the beginning. When you go in to a 'normal' bridal boutique, they have chosen to work with their choice of designers and have chosen some dresses from that designers current collection to stock and sell in their boutique. They have purchased a sample version of the dress which is what you are trying on in store. If you fall in love with a dress, the boutique will put in an order with the designer for a new one to be made.
When the designers launch their collection, which could be once or twice a year, those dresses can usually be ordered for 12-36 months. When the designers change their collection to a new collection they often then discontinue the previous, meaning that boutiques can no longer order that style dress. This is when you see sample sales! The boutique will want to sell off their sample versions as they no longer need them.
Some boutiques look after their sample dresses beautifully! But as you will probably have seen, the samples will have been tried on lots and lots of times by brides in store and will likely need a bit of fixing up, maybe new zips or buttons and likely a good dry clean!
If boutiques don't sell these dresses during their sample sales, held maybe once or twice a year, the dresses can end up in storage and eventually written off and discarded.
At Cirq, we exist to stop that from happening
Instead of these beautiful dresses being wasted, stored for years, or ultimately ending up in landfill, we give them a second life. We take ex sample wedding dresses that are no longer orderable, carefully repair and restore them, replace zips or buttons where needed, and professionally dry clean every gown before it reaches a bride.
We take the hit first, covering the cost of repairs, cleaning, and restoration so brides don’t have to. That means these dresses can be offered at up to 70% off their original retail price.
By choosing an ex sample dress from Cirq, you’re not only saving money, you’re also making a more sustainable choice. You’re preventing unnecessary waste, reducing the demand for new production, and giving a sample gown the chance to be worn on the day she was always made for!
It’s better for the planet, kinder on budgets, and proof that your dream dress doesn’t have to come at a cost to the environment.