The gown made of roots that you throw on the compost heap to biodegrade after your big day

For many brides, their wedding dress is an object to keep and cherish for the rest of their lives.

But the designer of a new nature-friendly dress instead wants the wearers to throw it on a compost heap after their big day.

The £4,000 dress, shown by maker Zena Holloway at the Chelsea Flower Show yesterday, is woven from base rather than the plastic more commonly used in clothing.

Ms Holloway, 49, said she came up with the idea after being shocked by the effects plastic has on the natural world.

Fabrics such as nylon and polyester release microfibers into the water when washed.

The designer, from South West London, came up with the idea of ​​making carrot dresses after seeing the roots of a willow tree submerged in water while cleaning up the River Thames.

She said: ‘We have this fantastic material called plastic, it goes through our hands in seconds and never rots. It’s a ridiculous idea for an intelligent species.’

She started experimenting with growing plants to make fabrics and came up with the idea of ​​using grassroots.

Mrs. Holloway’s company Root Full grows wheatgrass shoots in beeswax molds, which produce an intricately woven root structure.

After about two weeks, the shoots are cut off, leaving the mat of white roots below, which are then dried and pressed into a substance.

Several designs are possible, some with the swirling patterns of brain coral.

The process, from growing the dress to making the material and getting it ready for a bride, takes about two months.

Mrs Holloway said, ‘It’s amazing how much cloth you can make from a small piece of grass. It’s pretty hardwearing as long as you stay away from the elements.”

Ms Holloway has made three wedding dresses so far and has had to turn down offers from brides to wear them to their weddings so they could be displayed in Chelsea, but she hopes they will soon be used as intended.