International Bridal House Essense Designs Expands Size Offerings and Reaches Underserved Market with the EveryBody/EveryBride Program
The industry-leading initiative brings an unmatched range of sizes, styles and silhouettes to the plus-size wedding dress market.
Overland Park, Kansas, February 2, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Essense Designs, an award-winning bridal house with gowns in more than 1,200 stores worldwide, is proud to launch the EveryBody/EveryBride program through its Essense of Australia and Stella York labels. The industry-leading initiative brings an unmatched range of sizes, styles and silhouettes to the plus-size bridal market.
Through years of extensive research and focus groups, Essense Designs discovered that plus-size brides weren’t always provided the same “dream” dress-shopping experience that other brides received. While the fashion industry has made great strides in catering to women of all sizes, the bridal industry is still far behind. Typically, bridal shops only offer sample dresses in sizes 6, 8 and 10.
EveryBody/EveryBride is about more than just dresses. It's a mindset, a culture of inclusion and a celebration of every woman. We're thrilled to lead the wedding industry in making this shift.
Martine Harris, Chief Creative Officer
They may carry a small selection of plus-size wedding dresses but they are often in less-than-fashionable styles, leaving the size-18+ bride with scarce options and a lackluster experience. Many plus-size brides leave bridal salons feeling defeated, and are forced to order a dress that they’ve never had the opportunity to try on. Essense Designs believes that every bride—whether she’s a size 2 or 32—deserves to enjoy her wedding-planning process and feel beautiful on her wedding day.
The EveryBody/EveryBride program puts plus-size samples in Essense’s partner stores, giving all brides the opportunity to try on wedding dresses and envision what they’ll look like on their wedding day. With more than 180 different styles available in up to size 34/36, brides of all body types will find something flattering and fashion-forward, from bohemian A-line styles to sexy fit-and-flare gowns. These on-trend dresses aren’t from a separate plus-size-only collection—they are the same styles and silhouettes brides see pinned online from top-name designers Essense of Australia and Stella York. And unlike other bridal labels, there is no extra cost involved with purchasing a plus-size version of these gowns.
“Shopping for a wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Martine Harris, Chief Creative Officer of Essense Designs. “And finding ‘the one’ should be a special, memorable moment, shared with the bride’s closest family and friends. We want her to feel confident and gorgeous when she stands in front of the mirror in a properly fit Essense or Stella York gown. Regardless of her shape or size, every girl should experience the pure joy of finding her dream dress.”
Essense Designs is also pleased to incorporate plus-size imagery on its websites, in its advertising, on social media and in the tools provided to its partner retailers. Every store that participates in EveryBody/EveryBride will be better equip to communicate, service and create positive outcomes for the thousands of plus-size women who walk through their doors.
“EveryBody/EveryBride is about more than just dresses,” Harris said. “It’s a mindset, a culture of inclusion and a celebration of every woman. We’re thrilled to lead the wedding industry in making this shift.”
For more information on the EveryBody/EveryBride program, please visit essenseofaustralia.com and stellayork.com.
About Essense Designs
Essense Designs was founded in Perth, Australia, by Wayne and Martine Harris in 1992 with the mission to exceed brides' expectations by designing, manufacturing and wholesaling wedding gown collections with fashion-forward styling, superb fit, couture finishing and extraordinary customer service. The company's Overland Park, Kan. office in the Kansas City metro area serves as the hub of its northern-hemisphere business, while its original office in Perth serves the southern hemisphere. The company also has offices in the UK and Switzerland, and serves more than 1,200 retailers worldwide. The Essense Designs family of brands—which includes Essense of Australia, Stella York, Martina Liana and Sorella Vita—can be found in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and throughout Europe.
Contact:
Meg Buckley, Vice President of Marketing
913.276.5628
megb@essensedesigns.com
Source: Essense Designs
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