The Dress Project

We began as Twice Upon a Dress and are now THE DRESS PROJECT.

Visit us at our new website here.

Dresses for Africa

We have nearly 100 party dresses online at our Facebook page to preview. These dresses will be sold in Malawi Africa this fall 2014 to benefit education. If you are interested in the dress please like or comment on Facebook here.

Atlanta Dress Drive Party

Twice Upon a Dress takes your gently used bridal and formal dresses to sell and support education in Africa. Throughout the year we have events to collect dresses. This Cupcakes and Champagne party was co-hosted by Jessica Jetton and Elise Wilkes in Atlanta on August 24th.  The party has collected more than 100 dresses and counting.  If you would like to host a party, email us at twiceuponadressglobal@gmail.com.

Dress Story: Dominique DeWitt

We love hearing stories about the dresses that are donated. This dress from Dominique DeWitt will be sold and support up to a semester or more of school in Africa. Here is her story: I married Aaron, my college sweetheart, on January 18, 2014. We were married in my childhood church in Boca Raton, Florida. He is a pilot in the US Navy. We have had two separate duty stations since our wedding and have only been married six months! Moving has reminded me that holding onto materialistic things is not necessary, especially if it can help another couple have a perfect wedding day just like we did!

Education in Malawi

Twice Upon a Dress takes your dresses for sale to support young scholars in Malawi. Two of our students Rebecca and Nester attend APU (Atsikana Pa Ulendo). Pictured above is their Graduating Class of 2014. This photo was shared by Malawi's Girls on the Move. Discover more about them here.

More about Twice Upon a Dress

Above and below Malawi, Africa. We have more information about the conditions in Malawi and how dress donations help here. 

Below, Twice Upon a Dress founder Jody Stephenson. Each dress that is donated goes to supporting students in Malawi. Send us the dresses you do not need or plan to throw away.

Shipping details at right.

1, 2, 3: From Fashion to Benefaction

Three steps to improving the world

1. Look in your closet and see if you have a spare dress you do not wear

2. Mail it to us 

3. Improve the well being of another person's life, forever

One dress can support costs of up to one semester of school for a student. Make a difference with what makes no difference to you. See mailing instructions at right.

Wedding Season Has Arrived

Are you getting married? Are you in a wedding or attending a wedding? Chances are in the months to come you may know someone connected to a wedding in some way. What to do with a wedding, bridal or formal gown after the event? You can commit your dress to changing a life in Africa. Mail us your dress and email us photos of you wearing the dress. We will share your dress story here at our blog and make sure your dress is sold to support education in Africa. Give your dress a second life, change a life for the better! Mailing details at right.

Spring Clean Your Closet!

Time to clean out your closet and send us a dress!

One dress can support up to a semester school.

Make a difference. See shipping details at right.

Tonight! February 6, 2014, Dress Drive, Palm Beach

If you live in the area, please stop in to Michelle Farmer Collaborate Palm Beach from 6-8. For the donation of one spare dress, you will help a student in Africa and enjoy champagne, wine, bites and 10% off any purchase. Valet is available at 105 North County Road.

Send Your Dresses to School in Africa!

We hope you can join us and drop off a dress tomorrow from 6-8 pm. Twice Upon a Dress takes your dresses to sell in Africa to support education in partnership schools of Children of the Nations. The shot below is just one image of how much what doesn't make a difference to you, and is taking up space in your closet, can make a world of difference to someone else. 

Eliphaz Maxwell learns poetry at the Children of the Nations secondary school in Lilongwe, Malawi. 

What's in Your Closet? Donate on February 6, 2014

What's in your closet? You have two weeks to find a spare dress you have been hanging on to and drop it off at Michelle Farmer Palm Beach on Feb 6, 6-8 pm. Your one dress can support a student in Africa for up to one semester! Make a difference and get 10% off a new purchase too. See the event here and like us on Facebook for all events.

Dress Story: Katie

This is a two part dress story. Newlywed Katie Peacock above discovered Twice Upon a Dress and decided to bring her dress donation with her on a trip in Africa. Her dress above and below will be personally delivered to Malawi, Africa in order to be sold with all proceeds toward local education. We have asked Katie to document her trip and will feature it here soon.

'Twas the Season

Edie Sedgwick by Andy Warhol

Twice Upon a Dress wants your cocktail dresses from seasons past. If you have one or two dresses in great condition that are passed over and just hanging in your closet again this season, we would love to receive them! We sell them with 100% proceeds to students in Africa. It is so simple. You mail us the dress and we do the rest. Happy holidays and enjoy our look at cocktail dresses past.

Bogart, Bacall and son

Babe Paley, 1964

CZ Guest with Peter Lawford, 1961

YSL with Nan Kempner, 1971

The Kennedys in Palm Beach, 1961

Dress Story: Amethyst

Amethyst recently donated her wedding dress, veil and shoes. Here is her dress story:

After much conversation and thought, my husband and I made the decision to have a small wedding ceremony composed of immediate family only. Additionally, New Year's Eve has always been one of my favorite holidays. Therefore, we chose New Year's Eve 2011 for our wedding date. Since both of my husband's grandmothers live right outside of Orlando, we thought it best to have our wedding close to that area and eventually decided to get married on a cruise boat departing out of a port in Tampa. Without a doubt, this was an exciting time for all involved! My niece served as the beautiful flower girl and my precious nephew was our ring bearer. They loved exploring the ship and all our family could not believe how great our wedding ceremony and reception were. 

Amethyst included her veil in the donation.

In regards to the dress, I wanted something casual yet still with a bit of elegance and after trying on several dresses I found one I was satisfied with. While I loved wearing my dress on the wedding day, I am thrilled to have the opportunity for someone else to benefit from it as opposed to the dress just simply sitting in the closet slowly collecting dust. 

Weddings in Malawi

The traditional engagement ceremony of Twice Upon a Dress co-founder Jocelyn Kumwenda

Twice Upon a Dress co-founder Jody Stephenson has had the privilege of being part of many African weddings. This encouraged her to see the need for bridal, bridesmaid and formal gowns in Africa. Americans often wear formal dresses once. Twice Upon a Dress allows you to donate a dress for use in Africa. 

Wedding of Steven and Miriam Chisale

Here is her comment on the value of donated American dresses: "Anyone who has the privilege to attend a celebration, wedding or a weekly church service in Malawi knows that men, women and children alike come dressed to define 'Sunday best.'  Most American bridesmaid dresses would be completely appropriate for the occasion- even for simply attending the wedding or event.  American dresses are different from Malawian “traditional wear,” for sure.  They are more about shimmer and lace than color and shape.   In the end, it’s about feeling beautiful, and Malawian women don’t hesitate to wear what makes them feel beautiful."

Jody Stephenson above to the right of the wedding couple

Wedding of Ruth and Mafera Mwenda, this wedding dress was donated to support scholars

If you have a bridal, bridesmaid or formal gown you are not using and would like to donate, please email twiceuponadressglobal@gmail.com.

Why Malawi?

photo Stevie Mann

Twice Upon a Dress was founded to support young scholars living in Malawi, Africa. The area was chosen because of the connection of the founders to the region. Jody Stephenson had traveled to Malawi with Children of the Nations, during which time she met local Jocelyn Kumwenda and together they decided to support students in the area.

Malawi was historically part of the British controlled zone of central Africa. It is south of Kenya, nestled between Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. It is a small country with a long lake stretching most of the eastern border. Malawi shares much of its climate and wildlife with neighboring regions.

Mkulumadzi Lodge, Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Above, Misuku, a region of protected springs, part of land and well initiatives here

Above Lake Malawi via

 via

Despite the beauty of Malawi, there are many social and economic challenges, especially for girls. According to the World Bank, only 27% of Malawi’s girls enroll in secondary school, and just 13% will attend. Only a fraction of that 13% will actually finish 4 years of secondary school. Girls also consistently perform worse on national examinations and face dropout at a much higher rate. Stats via.

The causes for these numbers are due primarily to the costs of education. If girls have educational support their average marriage age raises, early pregnancy decreases and income increases. For this reason, Twice Upon a Dress uses your existing dresses to sell to support young scholars staying in school. See a great summary below.

Dress Stories: Three Times a Bridesmaid

My dear friend Niki's wedding at her grandmother's home in Barbados

Always a bridesmaid? Well certainly if you have been one three times. That is the superstition, three times means never a bride. Fortunately, I do not believe in superstitions but I did have three bridesmaid dresses in my closet until recently.  The three weddings I was privileged to take part in were each so special that I had been holding on to the bridesmaid dresses. I thought maybe someday I would cut them short or repurpose them, but finally I claimed the moment to make use of them now. My friend Jody Stephenson founded Twice Upon a Dress and I decided the best use for my bridesmaid dresses was clearly giving them away to help a scholar in Africa. The dresses served no purpose in my closet and could change a life. This potential put a calling on my heart to help.

Twice Upon a Dress lets you share the beautiful story and photos of the first use of the dress. Above and below were weddings for my sorority sisters. Niki above, at her grandmother's home in Barbados and Christy below, in St. Petersburg. Both bridesmaid dresses were long, sleeveless pastel gowns that will go to Africa to be sold, with proceeds supporting young scholars.

The third wedding was my dear friend from childhood, Allison. Unfortunately as the photo below shows, we ran on the golf course and it left a permanent mark on the dress. For a dress to have a second life, it must be like new so this one could not be donated. As I gathered the dresses to mail, I realized how blessed and grateful I am, to have been part of these great weddings, for marriages still together with beautiful families, and to have too many dresses in my closet. 

Donating your bridesmaid, bridal or formal gown takes only mailing it in Twice Upon a Dress. There is no reason not to.

My name is Rachel and I help Jody make this blog possible. When I am not supporting this blog, I am working on my own at www.rkwblog.blogspot.com.