Illustration by Gustavo Benejam/Courtesy of Eloquii
Eloquii is entering a category its customers have been asking — and actively searching — for for some time.
On Monday, the plus-size retailer announced it's launching bridal as a new brand this summer. Bridal by Eloquii will sell everything from wedding gowns to bridal shower dresses to bachelorette party looks in sizes US 14 to 28. There will be over 50 pieces in the inaugural collection, which is priced starting at $49 for separates and go up to around $900 for the more intricate pieces.
According to the brand, the demand has been there: "White dress" was one of the top five searches on eloquii.com in 2021. Eloquii has released bridal capsules in the past through collaborations with Stone Fox Bride in 2016 and with Ella & Oak in 2020; it also has a "For the Bride" edit of white pieces that could be worn for nuptials.
"We knew that for Bridal by Eloquii to serve the needs of our customers, we needed to incorporate feedback and insights to tailor the collection effectively," Yesenia Torres, Design Director at Eloquii, tells Fashionista via e-mail. "Whether designing for a bridal collaboration or elevated Eloquii evening wear in white for our main label, the need for impeccable fit and trend-driven styles has always been clear."
"Our process is very unique, and you'd be surprised how much we operate like a design house to craft and deliver a range of styles and get the fit right," she continues. "For example, we design each and every style in-house; fit on models, not mannequins; continuously refine fit based on customer feedback and practice the art of draping and pattern making to get every single stitch of every single style to be wedding day-worthy."
Eloquii held focus groups with U.S. women sizes 14 and up, according to Torres, in order to understand what the frustrations were with the market and how the brand's venture into bridal might be received. They also echoed some other feedback Eloquii had received over the years, of wanting clothes for all different kinds of wedding-adjacent events, "from bridal showers to post-wedding brunches and everything in between," she says. "We wanted to offer all of those options with amazing fit, elevated designs, quality, attention to detail and accessible pricing."
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"In the wedding market, there are very few other brands that offer bridal styles online, especially at this price point," Torres argues. "Most plus-size retailers generally offer bridal styles under $400 or over $1,000. Bridal by Eloquii exists in the white space with a high-end approach without the price tag."
As of now, there's no lookbook or product imagery, only a series of illustrations by Gustavo Benejam — you can look out for those a little closer to the summer launch. What Torres wants you to know about Bridal by Eloquii is that it fits into the brand's mission of "meeting our customers wherever they are in their lives."
"Getting married is a special time, and we want to make sure they have a breadth of styles for all of their wedding moments — from trend-driven fashion looks to the definitive 'princess' dress," she says. "The goal of the Bridal by Eloquii collection is to provide the ultimate wedding wardrobe of fashion-forward silhouettes that are expertly crafted in design and fit for their special day and everything leading up to it."
See a preview of Bridal by Eloquii in the gallery below.
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