La Femme Qui Rit

From wedding dress to bridal kimono

La Femme Qui Rit gives wedding dresses a second life by transforming forgotten gowns into elegant bridal kimonos. What was once worn for a single day becomes a garment that can be enjoyed daily at home and filled with new memories.
Wedding dress transformed into a bridal kimono by La Femme Qui Rit | Waste Alchemists Wedding dress transformed into a bridal kimono by La Femme Qui Rit | Waste Alchemists
Femke founder of La Femme Qui Rit working with wedding dress textiles | Waste Alchemists

About the alchemist

Femke is the soul behind La Femme Qui Rit. A designer with a strong social compass, she believes circularity only truly works when people are included too. During our conversation, she shared how waste, exclusion, and care for the planet are deeply connected. For Femke, working with discarded materials goes hand in hand with building a society that values people who are often overlooked. With her work she wants to combine exactly that, craft, care, and meaning.
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Collected wedding dresses ready for transformation at La Femme Qui Rit | Waste Alchemists

About the waste

Wedding dresses are a rarely discussed waste stream. Many are carefully chosen, emotionally charged, and expensive, yet after one day they often disappear into closets or attics. Some dresses come from happy marriages, others from relationships that ended, some from decades ago, others from last year. Deadstock bridal dresses, outdated styles, or dresses with small stains are especially likely to be discarded, despite the time, craftsmanship, and materials they contain.

About the process

Each kimono starts with careful deconstruction. Femke removes stitches by hand, separates the skirt from the bodice, and deeply washes the fabric. Dresses are soaked for 24 hours, dried, and ironed multiple times. Then comes the most delicate part: mapping the dress. She studies where each section can best be used for the back, sleeves, belt, and front panels. Every dress is different, and every kimono is a one-shot puzzle before the final cutting and sewing begins.
Handcrafting a bridal kimono from a wedding dress by La Femme Qui Rit | Waste Alchemists
Bridal kimono made from a wedding dress by La Femme Qui Rit | Waste Alchemists

About her creations

La Femme Qui Rit creates refined bridal kimonos made entirely from wedding dresses, your wedding dress. Each piece carries visible traces of its past while becoming something wearable again for everyday life, celebrations, or quiet moments at home. These are not replicas or series pieces. Every kimono is unique, shaped by the original dress and the story attached to it.

A birthday surprise stitched with love

One of Femke’s most meaningful creations came from her best friend’s wedding dress. Unsure how it would be received, she secretly transformed it into a kimono for her friend’s 40th birthday. The reaction was pure joy. That moment confirmed something important: wedding dresses do not lose their meaning after one day. They simply wait for a new chapter.

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