A Hasidic wedding dress designer and a stylist also of Orthodox Jewish observance? One might use the Yiddish term beshert to describe such a fated partnership.
Esty Haas and Talya Bendel certainly would, which is why they’ve joined together to launch a new line, Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal.
The pair are a recent addition to the CFDA Bridal calendar and will make their debut for fall 2024 with a runway show inside Manhattan’s Woolworth Building on Wednesday.
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“Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal is very much a collaborative effort where Esty’s expertise in bridal and my creative edge come together,” said Bendel, who comes to the project with 15 years of experience styling film projects for Netflix, Paramount and Warner Bros.
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Haas is equally matched with 15 years of experience, catering to the modesty needs of local “kallahs,” or brides, from her atelier in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
But like most partnerships in the Jewish Orthodoxy, theirs required help from a matchmaker: Bendel’s sister, Yocheved Gross. “I had discussed this dream of going global with Yocheved and we both said that the only way to make this possible was to bring in Talya,” explained Haas.
A bridal hairstylist known for customizing Sheitel wigs, Gross will be taking the lead on hair for the show.
The inaugural Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal collection comprises 16 opulent looks, each telling a different story with inspirations taking a grand tour through time, from the Yew Tree Ball at Versailles, circa 1745, to a jazz-age soiree in the Hamptons. Prices range from $5,000 to $9,000.
Conservative touches likes high-Edwardian lace collars and corseted bodices are balanced by shorter hemlines and sexier cuts to appeal to a wider audience. “We hope the collection will create opportunities for new clients that we otherwise could not reach,” Haas said. Noting the absence of Hasidic designers in the bridal industry, she added, “there’s a niche for us and we’re gonna fill it.”
Ambitious to get into wholesale, Haas and Bendel are gearing up for a grand tour of their own with plans to take the Talya Bendel – Haas Bridal collection on the road for trunk shows in key U.S. cities.