Ladies Day & sustainable style at Newmarket 2025

There are few summer traditions quite as iconic as the Newmarket July Festival, held at the historic Home of Horseracing.

With its mix of world class flat racing, fashion forward crowds, and social sparkle, it remains a highlight of the British summer season.

But this year, there’s more than just elegance on show. As the Sustainable Fashion Awards return for Ladies Day on Thursday, July 10, 2025, the festival is evolving into a celebration not just of style, but of purpose.

For decades, Ladies Day has embodied race day glamour - tailored dresses, towering hats, statement accessories, and a celebratory spirit. Yet in 2025, it’s clear the definition of glamour is shifting. The Sustainable Fashion Awards is now a fixture of the July Festival and is helping to transform how we think about what we wear and why it matters.

Entrants are encouraged to embrace re-worn, vintage, rented, or upcycled fashion. Judges don’t just admire outfits; they ask about their origin stories. It’s a stylish challenge with a serious message; dressing beautifully doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense.

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries globally, with textile waste and fast fashion cycles contributing to landfill overflow, resource depletion, and significant carbon emissions. In the UK alone, it’s estimated that over 300,000 tonnes of clothing end up in household bins every year.

That’s why events like this matter. By showcasing sustainable style at such a high-profile platform, Newmarket is helping to make eco-conscious fashion aspirational, rather than niche. It sends a message to racegoers, designers, and the fashion industry that we can honour tradition without sacrificing the future.

Newmarket’s role in championing sustainability is more than symbolic; it’s economically savvy and socially progressive.

Boosting Local Businesses: The rise of sustainable fashion naturally boosts the profile of local vintage boutiques, charity shops, independent milliners, tailors, and alteration services, many of which are based in and around Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Supporting Circular Economies: Encouraging fashion re-use keeps money circulating within communities instead of fuelling fast-fashion giants. It supports rental platforms, repair artisans, and pre-loved retailers, a more ethical, employment-generating economy.
Leading by Example: As a globally recognised sporting venue, Newmarket Racecourse embracing sustainable values sets an important standard for other large-scale events. Its position within a traditionally conservative sphere makes its leadership even more influential.

This blend of heritage and forward thinking helps Newmarket retain its relevance in a changing world. It’s no longer just about who crosses the finish line first; it’s about who’s leading the way off the track.

From Vinted-sourced dresses and heirloom accessories to rented designer looks and locally made headpieces, the 2025 entries into the Sustainable Fashion Awards are expected to be diverse, inventive, and deeply personal. And with prizes on offer, from spa days to cash rewards, there’s even more incentive to be fashion forward and environmentally aware.

What makes the July Festival unique is its ability to bridge timeless traditions with timely change. This is where the past meets the future. Where elegance embraces ethics. And where what you wear becomes part of a bigger, more meaningful story.

So whether you’re sipping Pimms on the lawn or cheering from the grandstand, one thing is clear - at Newmarket in 2025, it’s not just about what you wear. It’s about why you wear it.

If we can embrace sustainability in fashion, one of the most expressive, visible industries, can we begin to make more conscious choices in every aspect of our lives?

It’s no longer just about who crosses the finish line first; it’s about who’s leading the way off the track.