Spotlight On: Prom Ally

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It’s the next instalment of our series Spotlight On, where we explore issues that matter the most to you, with professionals in those fields. This time, we hear from Ally, from Prom Ally, who set up a prom clothing rental business after seeing young people being affected by financial burdens and missing out on important social events. Here’s what they had to say…

My name is Ally Elouise, I’m 27 years old and live in Llandudno in North Wales. I love fashion and clothing and I’ve always enjoyed shopping in charity shops and looking for unique finds in amongst the rails and racks. 

Back in 2015 when I was halfway through my law degree in Liverpool John Moores University, I saw a programme on TV about poverty through the children’s eyes. In this programme one young girl was dreading her school prom. Her family couldn’t afford to buy her a dress so they were looking in charity shops and second-hand shops. They weren’t having much luck as most charity shops only have the odd one or two prom or formal dresses in stock at any one time. All she wanted was to be able to visit a prom boutique or shop on the many prom websites online like all of her friends. Whilst I was watching this, it made me think about my own prom experience 5 years prior. I was fortunate enough to have the dress of my dreams bought for me by my Grandparents but I know a few of my peers didn’t attend the school prom at all. When I was young I didn’t really consider why they didn’t turn up, but now I look back as an adult, I know it was due to their lack of finances. This made me wonder if there was anything out there to help teenagers, similar to a food bank but for formal-wear. I did some research and established that there was a few similar organisations in America but none in the UK. This is why I set up Prom Ally!

Prom Ally CIC is a non-profit social enterprise that offers the free loan of a prom dress or suit to teenagers who are facing financial hardship. Prom Ally has helped hundreds of teenagers since its inception back in 2015. This last year has been the busiest prom season yet. We had over 300 referrals for a free dress or suit and this sudden rise in referrals is likely to be due to the increased cost of living and Universal credit cuts. We think it will be even busier next year as people are struggling financially now more than ever. 

In order for a student to be eligible for the free loan of a prom dress or suit from Prom Ally all they need is for a member of their school staff, social services, youth charity, food bank or other local authority to fill out a referral form on our website. A dress or suit can then be chosen, we post it out in time for their prom. Once they’ve worn it and had their prom, they just have to pop it back to us for the next person to borrow!

Some people often wonder why we do this, what is the big deal with a prom anyway? To us, it’s not just about the prom as an event, it’s about ensuring no one misses out, has to feel different from their friends or is socially excluded due to their parents financial situation. Teenagers are already faced with a lot to worry about such as revision, exams, puberty, hormones, bullying, fitting in, social media pressure and lots more… why should they worry about finances on top of everything else?

As well as helping these teenagers and families who are struggling financially, Prom Ally CIC also encourages the re-using and recycling of garments. Fast fashion is a huge problem and fashion as a whole is quickly becoming one of the most polluting industries on the Planet. All of the dresses and suits we offer are either donated directly from individuals or are donated in bulk from prom or wedding shops when they’re out of line or out of season. This stops them from ending up in landfill and gives them a chance to be worn and enjoyed time and time again!

Finally, we have decided to also launch an online sustainable formal-wear hire site. We decided that once prom season is over, instead of the dresses sitting in storage for the rest of the year they could get some use and help us bring in some vital funds. We have dresses available to hire which would be suitable for wedding guests, graduations, awards shows, cruises, the races and much more. This site is called Eco Wardrobe and all of money made from hires goes directly back into Prom Ally.

You can find out more about Prom Ally CIC and Eco Wardrobe by visiting our websites www.promally.co.uk or www.ecowardrobe.co.uk. You can also help us by following us on social media. We also accept dress and suit donations to our PO box which can be found on our website. The most important way of helping us however is by sharing what we do with your friends and family or sharing it online to spread the word. If you know anyone working at a school or you know anyone who may benefit from our service, please forward the website link on to them.