Cost-of-living: Is prom still worth the expense?
Anne Marie Corbett, prom bank owner holding prom dress
A charity has re-opened in Coventry to ease the burden of parents overspending on prom outfits for their teenager.
The prom bank in Canley Community Centre reopened last Tuesday, with the aim of helping struggling families rent good quality outfits on a budget.
It’s open by appointment only where the teenager can try on the suits or dresses in their own time and wear them for an administration fee of £5. The deposit is £30 which covers cleaning and repairing but £25 of it is refundable when the clothing is returned.
Anna-Marie Corbett is the owner of this charity. She said that as she is a single mother, she had struggled to get her son’s suit, but her family bought one for him which motivated her to start this.
She said, “I had so many people saying they couldn’t afford prom and it was such an expense which is why I decided to do something about it.”
Necklaces and earrings that the prom bank offers
She has since donated her son’s suit and now collects donations for the prom bank. She said, “I have a couple of friends who own bridal shops that have donated their stock that haven’t sold, as well as brand new ones, and we make sure they’re clean and okay to put out.”
She’s expecting a busy year as she had already received 25 bookings in the space of two days since reopening.
Data was generated by White London Ltd / Hotdealsuk
The Office for National Statistics says that the rising cost of living has caused 57% of adults to spend less on non-essentials. This is equivalent to around 26 million people in the UK. This means that many families are having to make the decision on allowing their teenager to go to prom.
It also gives the option for people to buy cheaper outfits for the event. All over Twitter, people are looking for donations.
A press release provided by Response Source revealed that in a poll of over 1000 parents with teenagers, 83% of these admitted that they were under pressure to make their kids outdo their classmates by keeping up with social media trends.
Gemma Cockrell wearing a green prom dress in 2019, credit to Gemma Cockrell
Recent graduate Gemma Cockrell, 21, said: “I paid £35 for my dress when loads of people were paying hundreds - I was quite proud of getting a bargain and this was in 2019. In our common room, anytime there was a formal event at school, there was a notice board where everyone pinned photos of their dresses, to make sure no one bought the same one as them. So I would say that definitely created a bit of pressure.”
“But I always found that I got just as many compliments as they did when I bought a cheaper dress, and often people were shocked and quite jealous when they found out how little I’d spent compared to them! So I think that did take the pressure away eventually because I realised that you can still get lovely dresses without breaking the bank.”
Even before the pandemic, people have sought cheaper alternatives, but the cost-of-living crisis has made this even more common.
For full-time dressmakers, this is a major financial issue.
Caroline Bramley, Managing Director of Caroline Bramley Designs Limited
Caroline Bramley is the managing director of Caroline Bramley Designs Limited in Solihull, and she has a team of seamstresses based in the West Midlands.
Caroline has seen costs go up in her shop as the financial crisis continues. She said, “My energy prices have gone up, I had a £1000 energy bill for one month, which has increased dramatically and is now having an impact on the prices of my dresses as I have to cover the costs of running my business.”
The shop’s services include dressmaking, alterations, and designs.
Dressmakers earn an average salary of £25,350 per year, but the cost-of-living crisis has affected the fashion industry tremendously with a 2% year-on-year decline in clothing sales.
Dress from Caroline Bramley designs Limited, credit to the website.
The prices of her prom dresses range from £350 to £850 depending on the style and colour, but there is a cheaper option of buying the last rail of one-off designs ranging from £150 to £350.
She said that she was aware the change would affect the customers and added “I now offer payment plans for people because I know that finding that kind of money to get a prom dress is difficult and is an expense, so I do what I can to help.”
She advised that customers look for dresses early in September before prom, which is the beginning of autumn sales. This also ensures that it can be prepared in time for the occasion, as it takes up to four or more months for the dresses to arrive in-store.
Many small businesses are going bust due to the decline in retail sales. The UK’s worsening recession means that many families are cutting back on expenses even more, by missing special occasions like prom.
Times are getting more challenging, but charities like the prom bank want to lighten the load.
By Phoebe Lewin