Ssense Just Launched Bridal for the Unconventional Bride – Harper's BAZAAR
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With exclusive designs by Chopova Lowena and Simone Rocha.
Ssense is to young millennials and Gen Z what Barneys was to the generation coming of age during Sex and the City. If Carrie Bradshaw were in her early 30s today, she’d be bragging about spending her paycheck not on Manolos but on square-toe Sandy Liang ballet flats she ordered from the Canadian online retailer. And now, Ssense wants to help dress her for her wedding.
The brand’s bridal edit, which launched this morning, features unorthodox gowns (like a dress with thick white tiers of tulle by Simone Rocha) and accessories (see: a statement necklace made of carabiners and chicken feet pearls by Chopova Lowena). Brigitte Chartrand, vice president of womenswear buying for Ssense, explains that she realized the brand’s customers were “on the verge of getting engaged, planning weddings, or attending weddings for their friends.” They were evolving, and Ssense needed to evolve with them.
Starting today, Ssense customers can shop the Bridal Capsule collection, which features exclusive pieces by the same emerging designers they’re already browsing on the website. “We chose a range of brands that best represent the Ssense customer—a mix of both emerging designers like Chopova Lowena and Sandy Liang and established designers like Simone Rocha,” Chartrand says. There’s also the Ssense edit, which she describes as “the best bridal and wedding occasion options.”
“We asked our buying team to source the best wedding-appropriate dresses, tailoring, shoes, and bags offered throughout our brand matrix,” she says, “either through direct buys or exclusive iterations of dresses in ivory or white.”
The goal was to challenge traditional wedding conventions, especially the classic wedding dress. On Ssense, you won’t find any A-line ball gowns, but there is a sheer Simone Rocha dress accessorized with a bag in the shape of a pearl and strappy PVC sandals. “People are opting for different kinds of weddings these days,” Chartrand says. “Some are choosing to go more intimate and personal, while others are still planning large-scale celebrations. The biggest shift we’re seeing in wedding fashion is the prioritization of personal style and ensuring it’s well represented across any and all wedding moments, big or small.”
The younger generation of brides also realizes that personal style is nearly impossible to encapsulate with just one look. Actually, most of those women aren’t thinking of “the dress” but “the dresses.” “It’s no longer about looking for one outfit, but rather, multiple outfits that play different roles leading up to the big day,” Chartrand notes. Luckily, it’s nearly impossible to pick out just one look from Ssense’s bridal offerings anyway. Chartrand herself has a handful of favorites.
“I absolutely love the dramatic full look from Simone Rocha. The dress, cape, and veil are designed to make a statement. But I also adore the beautiful, oversized hair bow from Sophie Buhai, which is perfect for anyone in the wedding party. And when it comes to pieces featured in the Ssense edit, nothing beats the pieces from the Row, always classic and timeless,” she says.
While most options are fairly zany, there are a handful for a bride who doesn’t want to leave all convention behind. “For a more conservative, yet incredibly elegant option, our edit also features an exclusive coat dress from Bode with gorgeous embroidery detailing that will be an amazing option for the fall,” Chartrand says. “I can already imagine this couple walking through Central Park after sharing their vows.”
While launching this new category, she tells me, she felt particularly inspired by one of her best friends, who recently got married in a white suit from Rick Owens. “It was so chic!”
Shop the Ssense Bridal Capsule Collection and Edit at ssense.com.
Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.
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