Elegance, based out of Pencoedtre High School in the Vale of Glamorgan, is a community-inspired service that loans and hires formal wear for every occasion - from the school prom to black tie dinners, by way of interviews, weddings and other social engagements.
Elegance rose from an original idea of providing suits and evening wear to school and college students who would otherwise be unable to afford them. With 'prom' — hitherto a mainstay of American culture — rapidly becoming a high point on the British student calendar, Natasha Jennings quickly realised that pupils at her school, both male and female, were missing out on the event as they struggled to meet the cost of hiring the expected attire. Determined to do something about the situation, Elegance was born.
From an initial rail of dresses obtained from friends and family, Elegance now offers several hundred options courtesy of donations and collection drives in the local community. The generosity of those who have rallied to the cause has enabled the ability to change the lives of these disadvantaged students — for one night, at least.
Building on that original premise, Elegance now offers formal wear on a public hire basis for events outside of the school —a means of providing a cost-effective source of style whilst raising funds to ensure that its original purpose can continue without succumbing to excessive overheads.
Elegance continues to accept the donation of dresses, ballgowns and suits from both the public and local businesses. All items are pre-owned, but many may have been worn only once before donation. To ensure the quality of every item, all are inspected and freshly laundered before each loan. Loans are offered free of charge subject to a £xx deposit to cover damage or non-return.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of the local community, Elegance is able to offer a wide range of suits and dresses, covering a multitude of sizes, for every occasion. That being said, however, we will not turn down any opportunity to increase the choice we provide.
Should you have any items that you feel would be worthy additions to our wardrobe, please contact Elegance by email at admin@elegance.wales to arrange for collection or delivery.
Alternatively, you can help our cause by hiring a suit or dress for an event via our sustainable hire initiative reDRESS on this very site.
Financial donations are an equally important part of the Elegance story as, despite the generosity shown via clothing contributions, we wouldn't be able to provide the service we do without the funds to store, launder, display, promote and distribute the fantastic items we have been given.
In order to support our efforts financially, please consider donating via Paypal by clicking on the button below.
Thank you so much for your support.
Hiring from Elegance is easy, ethical and environmentally-friendly!
reDRESS is our very own recycling initiative, where suits and dresses for every occasion can be used and reused, making a green statement in the face of one of the most polluting industries on the planet. From resource intensive production and chemical contamination to the use of non-sustainable materials and exploited labour, the 'pose and dispose' nature of so-called 'fast fashion' has a significant negative impact on the environment.
So, don't buy... HIRE!
Hiring from Elegance allows you to find low-cost solutions for your special event. All monies raised from the reDRESS initiative are reinvested in the original Elegance idea of providing financially-challenged students and young people with the chance to go to their school or college prom in style. Every recipient who benefits from the Elegance scheme is referred by school welfare departments, social services and local charities.
If you’d like to hire an outfit from us, take a look through our collection and simply drop an email to admin@elegance.wales , either telling us which outfit you'd like to hire or explaining what you’re looking for and leaving us to see what we can find.
BROWSE
Take a look through our collection of male and female formal wear to find something that is just right for your special occasion, whether it is a wedding, prom, dinner date or job interview.
Please bear in mind that, because these are donations, we usually only have one example of each suit or dress, so it is important to check that the size is right for you before you order.
ORDER
Once you’ve chosen the outfit you want, simply email us on admin@elegance.wales to check whether it is available for the date of your event and place your reservation.
Make sure you place your order at least a week before the event to ensure there is time to collect the outfit.
WEAR
You can collect your order a few days before your event so you have time to try it for size. If you're happy, all that remains is for you to style it out at your special occasion — and take plenty of pics that we can use on our Instagram.
If, for whatever reason, you decide not to wear the item you ordered, please do NOT remove the label as this will invalidate any credit we would otherwise issue.
RETURN
Once you have recovered from your event, simply bring the item(s) back to us.
Remember, if you haven't worn the item, leave the Elegance label attached so that we can credit you with a '100% discount' voucher the next time you hire from us.