Hai, the London-based contemporary label that specializes in romantic silk fashions, is expanding into bridal with its first capsule of nine made-to-order styles available online from Thursday.
“Bridal has been something we’ve wanted to branch into for the last few years, as a lot of brides have chosen pieces from our main line to wear for their weddings since Hai began,” said Tessa Vermeulen, who introduced the brand in 2018 with a small line of handbags. Vermeulen has since opened a standalone boutique in Seoul, Korea and joined the London Fashion Week calendar.
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The Dutch designer was quick to notice through tagged Instagram photos her bags were being snapped up by prospective brides to use during their weddings. When the same happened with the ivory dupioni dresses she began making last year as part of her expansion into ready-to-wear, she knew she might be onto something.
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Vermeulen‘s decision to launch a dedicated wedding collection came only when she began prepping looks to wear for her own nuptials. “There were so many styles we wanted to experiment with throughout the process,” she added. “It was so hard to choose which ones to wear.”
In the end, she opted for a dress from her mainline for the civil ceremony, which she layered over a bridal suit with ruffle trim. For her formal ceremony, which took place in Italy last month, the designer again chose from the collection, adding pearl drops to the back of the Isabella dress with puff sleeves and a basque waist inspired by one her mother’s designs from the ’80s.
“I think it’s becoming more and more important for brides to show their personality through their bridal looks, so we wanted to offer a range of pieces that they could really make their own,” Vermeulen said.
In addition to her signature silk, Hai bridal also incorporates lace and sequins on two shift dresses. And keeping with the brand’s roots in accessories, the collection features rosette embroidered gloves and a two-tier veil.
Prices range from $90 to $1,400.