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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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A designer who bought a white lace top from a thrift store for less than $7 has stunned social media after transforming it into a custom wedding dress—and then returning it to the rack for someone else to discover.
Evan Hirsch, 29, from Manhattan, New York, spotted the long-sleeved Banana Republic top while shopping secondhand and saw the potential for something much bigger. After pairing it with an ivory satin skirt and a rhinestone belt, he created a one-of-a-kind bridal gown before placing it back in the store on its original hanger.
"Since wedding dresses can cost thousands of dollars, I had the idea of offering my custom dresses for the same price as a cup of coffee," Hirsch told Newsweek.
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Indeed, wedding planner website The Knot reports the average wedding dress costs about $2,100, in 2025.
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Hirsch spent $6.99 on the lace top, around $50 on ivory Duchess satin for the skirt and roughly $10 on rhinestones for the belt. But for him, the value of the project went beyond the materials.
"It's the greatest feeling that I could be helping a bride save money for a custom wedding dress," he said.
The idea was inspired by videos of secondhand shoppers uncovering unexpected treasures in secondhand stores, though Hirsch said his motivation is rooted in a long-standing desire to make fashion more accessible.
"I always said that I wanted to dress the masses," he told Newsweek. "Many luxury designers wouldn't dream of seeing their designs in a thrift store. For me, it's a badge of honor."
Despite growing awareness of fashion's environmental impact, research suggests many brides are still hesitant to embrace secondhand wedding dresses.
A study by researchers from the University of South Wales, the University of Derby and the University of Manchester found that while many brides supported sustainable fashion in principle, it rarely influenced their final dress choice.
Interviews with 18 brides revealed that wedding dresses were often viewed as a powerful symbol of the transition into marriage and an expression of personal identity. Many participants felt secondhand dresses carried someone else's story and offered less flexibility for alterations and personalization, making them less appealing despite their environmental benefits.
Hirsch's creation challenges that perception, turning an inexpensive thrift-store find into a bespoke wedding gown—and leaving it behind for the next shopper to stumble across.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang
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