WEDDING DRESS DESIGN UNDER RAVE AESTHETICS: INTEGRATING SUBCULTURAL CODES, LUMINOUS MATERIALS, LIGHT AESTHETICS, AND CONTEMPORARY RITUAL

Abstract

This research examines how rave aesthetics can be integrated into wedding dress design to reflect contemporary identities while preserving the ritual significance of marriage. It first reviews scholarship on the white wedding dress as a symbol of purity, romantic love, and family continuity, and traces its shift from a fixed “ritual uniform” toward a flexible medium of identity expression that accommodates diverse genders, lifestyles, and cultural backgrounds. It then engages with literature on subcultures, commodification, and rave culture, highlighting rave’s role as a still‑dynamic counterculture structured around electronic music, coloured lighting, distinctive dress codes, and the PLUR ethos of Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.

Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative research‑through‑design approach. The PLUR philosophy is translated into design principles that guide a five‑stage process encompassing visioning, research and concept development, sketching and material selection, prototyping, and final construction. The outcome is a prototype wedding dress that maintains a recognisable bridal silhouette and ritual signifiers while incorporating fluorescent accents, reflective and luminous textiles, UV‑responsive details, and asymmetric, body‑adaptive forms. The results show that the dress performs in dual registers: conventional and solemn under daylight, yet rave‑coded and sensorially intense under coloured or UV lighting. This hybrid performance enables negotiation between family expectations and subcultural self‑expression. The study contributes a design‑based model for integrating rave‑inspired, light‑oriented aesthetics into ritual bridalwear, opening new directions for fashion design and the anthropology of ritual dress.

Keywords: Rave Aesthetics, Wedding Dress Design, Ritual Dress, PLUR, Light‑Oriented Fashion, Subcultural Style