Why So Many Cool Contemporary Brands Are Launching Bridal Right Now

Who's the target audience for HVN, Staud and Loeffler Randall's wedding designs?

Ahead of the 2023 wedding season, a profusion of fashion-favorite contemporary labels — including HVN, Staud and Ba&sh — debuted standalone bridal collections. And the timing couldn't be more apt.

"I've had a lot of brides DM me the announcements or pieces from these brands and be like, 'Oh, my gosh! We should look into this for X event,'" says bridal fashion stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz.

With the proliferation of wedding content shared over Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest (and hopes for a glowing feature in Vogue or Over The Moon), Hurwitz's clients are clamoring for more unique, special pieces to complete their wardrobe for the big day. There's also a fast-growing trend of multi-day destination weddings with an expansive series of events, from welcome cocktails to the farewell brunch — all of which need an outfit. So, instead of wanting more relaxed outfits for pandemic-era, pared-down celebrations, brides are on the hunt for new and noteworthy looks.

"[A client] wants to feel special, polished and put-together, and she wants people to be like, 'Oh my god, you look fabulous,'" says Hurwitz. "So what's she wearing to those events? It's not just something in her closet — it needs to be a piece that can stand alone."

Hurwitz has been sourcing wedding-appropriate pieces from fashion-forward ready-to-wear lines, to fill "void in the market of chic white pieces" from established bridal brands. And she's not the only one on the hunt: Over the past year, Google searches for "cool girl wedding dresses" has more than tripled in the U.S.; those for "rehearsal dinner outfits" and for "wedding reception dress" increased 12% and 60%, respectively (compared to the 12 months prior), while interest in "under 500 wedding dresses" more than doubled.

Of course, the contemporary price tags ranging between $300 and $1,000+ for a dress or ensemble (and in many cases, multiplied by three times that or more) are still an investment. But, in the continuing Great Wedding Boom, fashion-forward consumers are willing to spend more than usual on a series of occasion dresses, and the contemporary price point hits that sweet spot of a reasonable splurge for a milestone event.

The expansion into the wedding space may feel reminiscent of the mid-2010s movement of fast-fashion juggernauts like Asos, Topshop and Whistles venturing into bridal. But this is different.

"Brands like Staud and Ba&sh appeal to an affluent millennial professional," writes Scaling Retail CEO Syama Meagher over email. "Those brands carry an assortment of work and play pieces, and bridal is a natural extension of the lifestyle of their consumer." (She also points out that fast-fashion target audiences skew much younger — "juniors" — than the core contemporary consumer getting engaged.)

The millennial and Gen Z emphasis on authenticity also adds to the appeal of buzzy, aspirational contemporary brands, many of which have designers boasting their own ardent social media followings, like HVN's Harley Viera Newton and Staud's Sarah Staudinger.

"These collections feel more curated and considered, and are often born out of the brand founder/designer's personal experience navigating their own wedding planning process and experiencing difficulty when it comes to creating their own wardrobe," says Alexandra Macon, founder of Over the Moon, which carries similarly-priced offerings from contemporary labels like Damaris Bailey and Cara Cara.

For example, Staudinger took inspiration from the gown she designed for her 2022 nuptials (also featured in Vogue Weddings) as a "jumping off point" for the Staud's debut bridal collection, such as the thin straps, the dropped waist and the column bodice.

Over the past few years, Viera Newton found herself increasingly tagged in clients' photos of them wearing HVN's serenely pretty, vintage-inspired dresses to weddings, as brides, guests and bridesmaids. That inspired her to officially launch bridal in March. And like Staudinger, she drew from what she felt was missing from her own 2017 nuptials shopping experiences.

"I'd be thinking, 'Oh, it would be great if there was a fun little white sequin mini for this moment,'" she says. "So, [launching bridal] been something in the back of my mind ever since my own wedding."

Viera Newton explains HVN's core mission is "to offer dresses that you'll wear again and again — they're not necessarily trend-driven," she says. "It's not a dress that you're only going to wear once, because that's always a painful purchase."

That was also a consideration for Loeffler Randall when it was launching its first proper bridal edit. The brand was already home of the wedding-beloved Camellia pleated bow heel, priced at a gentle $395, but in January, it officially launched a full collection for nuptials, offering festive versions of its hero shoe, ideal for continuous re-wears after the wedding.

"We really do want things to not feel wasteful," says Founder Jessie Randall.

In addition to shoes, headbands and bags, Loeffler Randall also debuted a capsule of dresses and separates, ideal for related wedding occasions and destination fêtes.

"Whereas we used to [think of expanding into bridal] more organically a couple of years ago, we started to think we need to really concept this as a very important category within our business,” says Randall.

The Soho flagship will be an exclusive hub for bridal activations, while also serving as the only location to shop the dresses in-person. Randall decided to not wholesale the bridal ready-to-wear to both keep the end-cost down for customers and to directly control the aesthetic, to maintain the brand's ethos — and not have to adjust the her vision for other retailers.

London-based Rixo, which launched bridal in 2021 at the height of micro-weddings and Zoom ceremonies, just released its fourth collection with brides and bridesmaid offerings. The brand further committed to its wedding clients by opening a dedicated bridal boutique within the King's Road flagship.

"It was a no-brainer," writes co-founder Henrietta Rix via email. "I think customers in general really want the experience of going into a store and immersing themselves in the brand DNA, especially for something as important as a wedding dress."

Having a standalone bridal category may also boost the ready-to-wear brand's bottom line — ideally in perpetuity. Scaling Retail's Meagher has "repositioned" contemporary fashion clients, like Aquarelle Maison, for success through utilizing "bridal tactics" in sales and marketing: "Bridal is an easy way for brands to reskin existing collections and attract a new audience." Plus, "brides are not returning season after season to buy a new dress, so this strategy is also easier on inventory and collection development," she adds.

A wedding or wedding-related dress is typically a one-time (but very sentimental) purchase; thus hopefully creating an emotional attachment and loyalty to the brand. So bridal can become a gateway to its full offerings, which then gains new lifetime customer.

HVN's clients already repeatedly purchase favorite hero silhouettes over and over again, in evolving colorways and prints. "Maybe [the bridal client] will] revisit for a different print in that style or a similar silhouette — or experiment with a totally new piece from the brand," says Viera Newton. "That's the hope."

"We're trying to give the customer a whole life and service," says Randall.

Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for the Fashionista daily newsletter.