What makes our brand so unique and good for mother nature?

Check out our sustainability blog rubrica for more information and take advantage of the Second Hand Swap!

Here is a small description of why some of the fabrics/methods we use are more sustainable than others:

* Please note that there isn't anything 100% sustainable as every fabric has an input in one way or another (you can read more about this on our blog)

• Why Slow-fashion is sustainable? Slow fashion is a new kind of approach to fashion that makes people aware of the processes involved in the making of a garment, so that each piece of apparel is more long lasting, ethically produced and sustainable for the environment. You may have to wait a little longer to get your piece but it will be made in the kindest and more respectful of ways, with love and attention to details. Other than limiting the waste of resources it is a better way to value the work (and dignity) of people making our clothing instead of low cost out-sourcing to higher margin.
• Why is Tencel sustainable? Tencel is a sustainable fabric, regenerated from wood cellulose. Tencel is one of the most environmentally friendly regenerated fabrics, for several reasons. Tencel fibers are grown sustainably. Unlike rayon and bamboo, Tencel's supply chain is transparent. It is obtained from eucalyptus trees that are grown on farms, no old forests and doesn't require genetic manipulation, irrigation, or pesticides are used. The European Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification has also endorsed Tencel's farming practices as sustainable. Tencel eliminates the negative environmental impacts of traditional fiber processing, using new sustainable technologies. Tencel has also some distinct advantages over traditional fibers in terms of chemical processing, which can often be extensive and toxic.
• Why is Linen sustainable? Flax, the plant from which linen is made, is also extremely versatile. Every part of the flax plant has traditionally been used to create a worthwhile product—nothing is wasted, and production is cost effective. Flax is resilient and can grow in poor soil, using far less water in its consumption than cotton. According to the European Confederation of Linen and Hemp, “Across its lifecycle, a linen shirt uses 6.4 liters of water” compared to 2,700 liters for a cotton shirt.
• Why is Organic Cotton sustainable? As it eliminates the use of pesticides and fertilizers, organic cotton prevents contamination of groundwater, thus making drinking water clean and safe. It has been found that the impact of water pollution of organic cotton is 98% less compared to the conventional cotton production.
• Why is Silk sustainable? Silk is considered a more sustainable fiber than many other since it is a renewable resource, it can biodegrade, and uses less water, chemicals, and energy than many other fibers.

In addition we try to do our part for society by donating a part of our margin to different humanitarian causes. For Black Friday 2020 we donated to an NGO called Wolf Center UK that rescues wolves from Zoos and other cases of captivity. In 2020 we also donated to the NGO Music Action International, an organization helping refugees through music. Until now in 2020 we donated to the Ocean Clean Up Project and we are planning two dresses that will support environmental projects. We will continue making donations to different causes we are truly committed to in the years to come! We also ship with the DHL green initiative!

Except for a couple of items of an old collection our production is entirely made in slow fashion, both for clothes and for accessorizes.

Here is how it works:

• Every item is HANDMADE IN ITALY by our tailors or artists.
• Each item is made specifically for you: it is cut for your, sewed for you individually and not in a production chain and personalized for you in case you asked for small adjustments based on your measurements or your aesthetic.
• You will be able to choose custom measures (we always suggest to contact us for a fitting package if possible)
• Production will take 4 to 8 weeks depending on the item. If the supplier of our fabric is delayed (especially now with Covid), production can take a little longer. Please be sure to select the fast production option, when available, if you are in a hurry. If you are not in a hurry please don't message before the 8th week. We do our best to ship as soon as possible but this is slow-fashion and it has a different production method than fast fashion. Be kind and patient :)

Hello dear,

we are a slow fashion company and that means that each piece is cut and sewed individually, by a person and not a machine chain. Therefore sizing is an indication because measurements can slightly variate due to the type of production process. This may depend on the kind of fabric, how it needs to be sewed an so on. Small variations compared to the size chart are considered normal, but if you find more evident anomalies please feel free to message us about it. If you have questions regarding this please email us.

Keep in mind each dress has a different wearability depending on stretch, elastic waists, style, fabric and so on. You can check this under each dress product description.

• S-Breast 88cm- Waist 70cm- Hips 93cm- Shoulders 38cm- Front neck to waist 43cm- Neck Circumference 34-Neck to Breast 27cm
• M-Breast 92cm- Waist 74cm- Hips 97cm- Shoulders 39cm- Front neck to waist 44cm- Neck Circumference 35-Neck to Breast 28cm
• L-Breast 96cm- Waist 78cm- Hips 101cm- Shoulders 40cm- Front neck to waist 45cm- Neck Circumference 36-Neck to Breast 29cm
• Curvy-Breast 108cm- Waist 90cm- Hips 115cm- Shoulders 41.5cm- Front neck to waist 46.5cm- Neck Circumference 37.5-Neck to Breast 30cm

Please remember these measurements are an indication!

Tailored Option

We do offer a tailor made option but, as we are sure you can understand, tailor made clothing usually requires you to physically go to a tailor in order to have your measurements taken accordingly to the way that specific tailor works and, after a first fitting, the dress will be adjusted on your body a couple times.

Doing this at a distance is impossible and therefore the custom made option might not always be accurate and will require adjusting.

Please keep this in mind once you order custom made. If you are interested in a fitting and adjusting package contact us after purchase as this service is not included in the price.

The process of tailor made clothes is not only based on measurements alone, but it is a difficult geometrical and mathematical procedure.

We need to take the measurements given by you and create a completely new pattern on which we build the dress, but the measurements you provide are an indication.

To take your measurements follow the guide as explained here and write them in the required box like in the given example in centimeters.

You can also check a guide we made on instagram on IG TV called "How to take your measurements" and we will soon make a Youtube guide as well!

Please notice that custom dresses cannot be refunded as we won't be able to resell a dress based on your measurements.

For any concern please contact me right after submitting your order!

• We ship everywhere with DHL Express Worldwide, so shipping is trackable, safe and super fast!
• We ship with the DHL green initiative to limit carbon emissions.
• Delivery times can be affected by weather conditions, strikes and holiday periods!
• Delivery is around 2/3 days in the EU and 1 week for worldwide deliveries.
• Your national import tax might be applied once the package reaches your country and you will have to take care of this, it will not be included in the price.
• If you want a cheaper shipping contact us in private. This is available only for countries outside the EU and the USA-Canada.
• If your country doesn't appear in our system please contact me in private.

Can't afford to buy an item all at once? No worries! You can pay in two or three installments!

• You can pay in up to 3 installments and we will ship your product once you finished paying. If we usually take 4 to 6 weeks to make a slow fashion item you can pay 1/2 upfront and 1/2 before we ship. Or if you want to pay 3 times you can pay 1/3 upfront, 1/3 in 4 weeks and 1/3 before we ship the 8th week.
• You can pay in installments also for more than one thing at a time.
• Want to pay in installments? Read the easy guide on how to proceed below and if you still have questions please email us at

To order with two/three installments you need to calculate the total sum of:

• the total price (IN EUROS) of the item you selected
• shipping cost to your country
• the cost of all modifications you request such as: 2 weeks production, different fabric, different embroidery, longer skirt, custom measurements and so on.
• If you are ordering more than one item add the other items' cost as well

To calculate this just go on the website as if you were ordering all at once, go to check out and see the final price, then divide it by the number of installments you want to pay.

After you know the total cost you divide it by either 2 or 3.

Then send the first part now to on PayPal (contact me if you want to use another method) and specify in the comments section:

• Your Full name and email
• The item name, size, color, possible modifications (the embroidery option you want, the color of the item if there are more than one, skirt length if you want it different, waist circumference if you want it different, ect)
• Shipping address and phone for the courier
• The number of the installment: ex "First Installment, Second Installment, Third Installment"
• The number of total installments: ex "First Installment of 3 or First Installment of 2"
• If it is a gift tell us the name of the receiver

In 4-6 weeks we will remind you of the 2nd installment and if you did 3 in 8 weeks we will ask for the last.

More legal info:

• There are no additional costs to pay in partial payments unless you pay via bank transfer.
• The final invoice will be sent to you at the end of all payments if needed.
• We do not ship the item if you haven't finished the payments unless you enter in the Special Customers Program (you can ask me about this whenever you want).
• If you do not pay your installment within 30days from the installment deadline we will be sending you a reminder and if you still won't pay for any reason there will be no reimbursement, we will sell your items to other people since we already invested time and fabric in the production.
• If you order more than one item with the installment plan and then decide to only have some of the items you order you won't be able to, as we order fabric and begin production for each item ordered at first.

Follow the Return Guide to return or exchange an item:

• If the dress doesn't fit you quite right you can let us know within 14 days after you receive it to return it or exchange it.
• The return address is Nour & the Merchant, via Darsena 69, 44121 FE Ferrara Italy, not our legal address.
• The return costs are charged to the client both ways, unless the issue was our mistake (defective item only or mix-ups).
• If you are returning from OUTSIDE the European Union please contact me first as it requires a different process.
• To send it to us you can use whatever postal service you prefer and when we are ready to send it back to you we will ask you to pay for the shipping from us to you via Paypal.
• Please return with insured and trackable shipping providers or we cannot refund you if the item is lost or never delivered.
• Dresses cannot be refunded if they have been used, if it is damaged and if it's been stained or washed.
• Attention: Custom items cannot be refunded (therefore all custom sizes, fabric and colors and alterations). Custom items cannot be resold by us and therefore cannot be refunded.
• If your slow fashion dress has some small defects and/or unstitched part we are truly truly sorry.
  Hand made items can have some issues because they are handmade by a person, not a chain of machines, and sometime that can happen. But don't despair! We accept returns and we will fix it immediately and send it back as soon as possible all at our cost. If the damage is very very small we suggest you have it fixed at a tailor near you just to save time.
• To adjust, change or modify a returned items we always require the same 4 to 8 weeks of slow fashion production.

Holidays are a difficult time of the year for us because, since we make everything by hand, it is hard to fulfill too many orders by the holiday deadline. Here are a few holidays suggestions:

• For Christmas, please order your gifts at least 8 weeks before December 20rd. Furthermore some items might be limited and it will be written in the product description.
• If you place your orders from middle of November onwards please be aware that it may take 2 to 3 extra week in production as we will take 10 days off for the holidays
• The same is true for summer holidays but we will let you know with a pop up a month ahead.
• During holidays we won't answer your questions and concerns with the same speed we usually have during the year.

We can make your own, personalized, wedding dress.

We will discuss with you your desires, your vision, your budget, your timeline and create a project and a few drafts for you to review. If you like what you see we will make your dress!

Please note we need at least 4 to 5 months and our price, unless you want to alter a dress that is already in our store, will start from 500€ as they are made specifically for you and that requires a lot of work

For more info please contact me.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

In order to be even more sustainable we decided to create a swapping system that promotes recycling and second hand!

Here is how it will work:

• Whenever you purchase a Nour & the Merchant design you will be able to get a second hand dress FOR FREE as long as you are willing to trade something of yours you no longer use, in good conditions and that fits with the general mood of this store
• When you will buy your new dress contact us with the code number of the second hand dress you like so we can reserve if for you and put you in contact with the owner so the two of you can arrange the shipping details.
• Before the dress can be considered "yours" you will need to provide us with quality pictures of one or more items you are interested in swapping (pictures must be taken on a hanger, with a white/beige background and in natural lights). Once we will agree the item is acceptable we will reserve the second hand item you have chosen. Please send your pictures at .
• The item you Swap will be shipped by you to the person who will select it in the future. Whenever a person selects the item we will provide them your contact information in order to arrange the shipping. Shipping will be only done though normal postal service and you will decide with the receiver how to split the reasonable shipping costs.
• Contestations will go though us and if we find that someone is abusing of the swap system they will no longer be allowed to swap on this platform. Swapping is a way of strengthening the community, helping the environment and should not be done for egoistic purposes.
• Swapping can only happen if you have purchased a Nour design and donated something in return.
• If we do not accept some of your donation please understand we are selective in order to keep a quality standard and a certain image. We hope you understand!
• Finally, if you don't want to buy anything at the moment you can always donate used items in exchange for a discount you'll be willing to use in the future!

Can't wait to know if you like our system!

With love,

Cristina & Nour!

1- Folk Dress- Size M

2- Pink Tulle Dress- Size M

3- Mini Folk Dress- Size M

4- White Vintage Shirt- Size M

5- Pink Vintage Shirt- Size M