Love is in the air: The evolution of the bridal industry

rom comfortable cotton kurtas [loose collarless shirts] and floral satin lehengas [ankle-length skirts] to intricate jacquard sherwanis [long coats] and metallic embroidered gowns. By using more non-traditional fabrics in traditional Indian silhouettes, the pieces are truly unique. What is it like catering to Indian brides and grooms in the US?  I think the main difference between our brand and a lot of the ones that you would find within India or even at Indian boutiques in the US is the aesthetic. Most brides and grooms who come to us are South Asians living in a country like the US, where there are so many different cultures to be influenced by. We’ve kind of created our own sense of style and a lot of the traditional Indian clothing brands don’t represent that. What are some of the most interesting ways that catering to Indian brides is unique and what are some of the challenges? I love being able to work with brides and grooms for multiple events. Unlike most non-Indian weddings, there are always three or more events, so it’s really fun to work with customers to really curate all of their wedding looks.  The fact that a lot of brides have to take their family members or other people’s opinions into such high consideration before purchasing their outfits is always a bit of a challenge. We’ve seen brides fall in love with something and be so excited to wear it for their wedding, only to be told by their mother or sister that it’s “not heavy enough” or “isn’t the traditional red you have to wear”. That’s always a tough situation and we usually have to navigate each situation a bit differently to help them come to a compromise. What are some of the interesting bridal trends in the US at the moment? I think the whole concept of “less is more” is really ingrained in a lot of customers’ wedding planning right now due to the pandemic. This is kind of trickling into the clothing as well and most brides and grooms are so happy to be wearing lighter options. I think the general trends we’ve seen in Western fashion of bigger sleeves, off-the-shoulder, and pastel colours has been really sought after for a lot of brides and grooms as well. Christina Wettstein and Kimberly Marcaux Founders, Melange de Blanc bridal market, Miami Tell me about the new reimagined Melange de Blanc market concept and how you came up with it.  Honestly, we just do our best to listen to what our stores want and need and try our best to give it to them. I used to live in Los Angeles and would constantly be told by West Coast stores they wished there was a market there. They either didn’t want to travel to the NYC bridal market because they couldn’t afford it or couldn’t be away from their stores that long, so it was always in the back of our minds. Plus, we have always done a big virtual push so with Covid, it just felt like the right time to do it. Once we started putting our heads together, the rest is history. We joke that we are in no way market planners, but it really is satisfying to bring industry people from all over the world together and be able to help them all while building strong relationships where we can!  Tell me about the virtual event you ran previously and what that experience was like for buyers and guests. We did virtual markets for all our designers that either couldn’t come to the States due to Covid, only show one collection a year or launched a collection mid-season and had no way to get in front of the stores. We did have a good number of stores who I am sure thought this was distasteful, as the world was obviously turned upside down, but as much as we are here for the stores, we are here for our designers as well. They put their heart and soul (not to mention a lot of money) into building and designing these new collections, so we wanted to give them a platform to show them off. And we are still so glad we did!  We opened up so many new accounts who still to this day thank us because if we didn’t invite them to our virtual market, they wouldn’t have new stock in their stores now that they are opened back up since Covid. We also do quarterly training and weekly trunk show training to go over the new collections that they just received in their stores. Knowledge is power and the more comfortable and confident a store is with your collection, the more they’re going to sell it, so we just try to be the best partners we can be. And thankfully all three of these virtual platforms have proven to be very successful.  Since Covid, how would you describe the current bridal retail landscape? This has been an interesting topic as we have really seen such different situations depending on territories. Some stores never closed and some unfortunately still aren’t really open. Some had no choice but to do FaceTime and virtual calls throughout and then there are the stores that really started to push the at home and bridal-in-a-box experience. It has also been helpful for stores to limit the number of people allowed in the appointments, so brides can really focus on the gown instead of all their friends and family options. I think moving forward, many retailers will continue with these options for brides, so it will be fun to see how they pan out. After all, it’s all about making that bride happy, right?  What are some of the interesting retail trends that you’re seeing in the bridal market right now?  I’d say changing their gown into lingerie after the big day or reusing their bridal gowns for different events. We have one designer, Charlie Brear, that has caught the eye of a lot of stores because she’s not the traditional wedding gown designer, she’s a stylist. You essentially buy a clean crepe gown and really style it to many surrounding events, which, given Covid, has been very helpful (and cost-effective). So many brides had to cancel their weddings or postpone, so now she can still get married in her backyard with a more simple and clean look, but then still wear and accessorise the same gown months down the line. They even have a jumpsuit that I have seen a bride wear to her rehearsal dinner, to her ceremony, and then again for another event, all while looking like three completely different outfits.  Shona Joy, designer, Sydney How has the bridal sector evolved since Covid and how has Shona Joy responded to that?  It’s been a heartbreaking year for many brides having to cancel, reschedule or downsize their initial plans for their big day. We’ve definitely seen the trend toward smaller scale weddings and the ‘unconventional bride’ continue, particularly with the added level of uncertainty of changing regulations and travel restrictions that the entire industry has had to navigate. With this, our customer has continued to move away from the conventional expectations of bridal — looking for more intimate ways to celebrate love, opting for dresses that can be worn again and keeping a focus on the elements that mean most to them, rather than the scale of the day. Tell me about the new website and what it offers customers? Our digital flagship launched in June last year with the mission to offer our customer an immersive brand experience, along with added features to support the online shopping journey. We included detailed Zoom functionality, built out our navigation and predictive search, added product video capabilities, swatch libraries, as well as more detailed product information to ensure our customers felt fully informed without being able to physically touch and feel the garments. Additionally, we added a wishlist function to help our brides share their favourite styles with their bridal party.  Since then, the digital journey hasn’t slowed down and we’ve continued to listen to our customers to find ways to evolve and improve the site. From this feedback, we improved our shipping globally by offering a free upgrade to express shipping for all customers, as well as extending our return policy by allowing customers to return their garments for a full refund to ensure they’re able to find a perfect fit.  What are some of the challenges for the bridal industry right now? Dealing with uncertainty has been a huge challenge for the industry. Working with constantly changing restrictions has resulted in a huge increase in events being rescheduled or cancelled and required many to offer more flexible policies than they normally would. Moving forward, I think the challenge will be finding ways to adapt and cater to the unconventional bride who is seeking a completely different look and format for her wedding. Additionally, as it has now become much more common to plan your wedding completely online, the challenge for the industry is to ensure our platforms and digital offering are up to scratch to be able to best service the bridal customer. How would you describe the Shona Joy aesthetic? The Shona Joy aesthetic has always been connected to our Australian roots and the laid-back beach lifestyle we love so much. This is evident in our collections through our use of natural fibres, effortless, no-fuss silhouettes and neutral colour palette, but always with a hint of our signature 70s bohemian style. When it comes to bridal customers in particular, what are they looking for in a dress? Today’s modern bride is much more considered when making purchase decisions for her big day, shopping exclusively with brands that demonstrate values that match their own, a brand story they connect with, and a brand commitment to operating with a purpose.  Ensuring that we operate with people and the planet at the forefront of our minds has always been critical for us as a brand, just as this is important for our customer. We’re currently transitioning the production of our entire bridal offering to a more sustainable fabrication alternative, known as Lenzing. Additionally, we’re focused on sharing the stories behind our designs and our team to give our customers full visibility over our process and help her connect to the garments even more.  Ultimately, everyone wants to feel beautiful on their wedding day in a dress that feels uniquely them. From a product perspective, we’re focused on ensuring that every woman can find something to feel incredible in from our range; catering to a broad range of body shapes, offering a variety of silhouettes and even separates.  What are some of the lessons that you’ve learnt about bridal customers since starting your own business? Much of our success in the bridal industry has come from the fact that we’re a fashion brand first — our focus is ready-to-wear. We strive to create beautifully made, modern silhouettes that speak to the fashion customer. We don’t design ‘conventional bridal’. Our garments are pared back and timeless, which I think is key for the modern bride who has a much more tailored vision of what she wants her day to look like.