The Affordable Boutique Brand To Know
The OWN Studio creates sleek, versatile outfits for every event that might take place over a wedding weekend. Each piece is designed to be a luxe wardrobe staple long after the big day. They’ve taken the best bits from the traditional bridal world and combined them with what they think is important to the modern bride - contemporary design and the ability to re-wear something. They both love simple, effortless fashion and wanted to bring the same aesthetic to bridal wear.
The brand came about when Jess got married back in 2015 and couldn’t find anything to wear that reflected her personal style. Rosie was a bridesmaid at the same time and was being asked to wear dresses that felt like they belonged in a 1980s photo album. The shopping experience felt outdated and they set out to change it. They launched a small edit of signature pieces in January last year and after an amazing reception launched their wider collection in October.
The vision is clear at The OWN Studio. Women want to feel relaxed, effortless and, most importantly, like themselves on their wedding day, so they’ve designed a collection to help brides feel exactly that. Expect clean silhouettes and 90s-infused styles inspired by the runway, rather than ‘traditional’ bridal shapes. The star of the collection is a white tuxedo with a heavy satin lapel and matching wide-leg trousers – all crafted in the softest, supple crepe. It’s very Helmut Newton meets Bianca Jagger, but updated for the modern woman.
Currently, it is estimated that in the UK alone 9,000 garments are thrown away every five minutes. When you think about this in the context of weddings, where the average lifetime of a garment is less than 24 hours, it’s not an understatement to say bridalwear is one of the biggest culprits of throw-away fashion; particularly when it comes to bridesmaid outfits. Often the designs are outdated, and the fabric and fit is poor, which means dresses are banished to the back of the wardrobe, or worse, thrown away. The bride forks out, the bridesmaids feel uncomfortable and the planet suffers – nobody wins. So, they’ve committed to being ’sartorially sustainable’ – that means every piece across both ranges is designed to be a wardrobe staple after the wedding – and they are delivered to brides and bridesmaids along with tips on how to restyle them for other occasions.
There’s minimal waste at The OWN Studio because all garments are made in London using luxurious fabric and are either made-to-order or made-to-measure. Fabric offcuts are used to create matching scrunchies as well as other accessories such as flower girl sashes, pocket squares and hair ribbons, too.
Wedding dresses no longer have to fit a certain mould or stereotype. It doesn't have to be a choice between a sweetheart neckline or a big tulle skirt. Instead of searching for 'wedding dress ideas' on Pinterest, why not start with searching for celebrities or stylists that you admire for their red carpet looks? Or try looking at runway collections from your favourite fashion houses. If you build your mood-board from this base, you’ll be starting with your own style and taste, rather than limiting yourself to what's on offer in the 'traditional' bridal market.
There are 26 pieces in the collection, and all are designed to be a capsule wedding wardrobe, with an outfit for every element of the wedding weekend. As well as the ceremony outfit, there are slick jumpsuits for Friday night welcome drinks, a getting ready outfit in the form of an oversized monogrammed shirt, a fabulous bias cut silk satin ‘dancing dress’, a variety of second day dresses and a range of luxe bridesmaid pieces that wedding guests will be jealous of.
You can mix and match their bridesmaid pieces depending on what shape suits you best. As well as their signature bias slips, they offer a skirt and top set, a halter style and a wrap dress so there is something for everyone. All of their bridesmaid pieces are created using their signature crepe backed satin – they spent hundreds of hours hunting for the perfect fabric with the right amount of weight and drape to fall effortlessly over the body and flatter all body shapes.
Brides can create their own dresses from scratch by taking elements from their styles and adding their own ideas. They can also make adjustments to any of our designs; every bridal piece is made to measure (except our suit which is made to order) which means we can offer small customisations. A cuff here, a train there – it’s your day, so make it how you want.
Finally, the collection is still affordable without compromising on the quality of fabric or craftsmanship. All the bridalwear is made in London and starts at £160, with full outfits priced between £840 and £1,950. Bridesmaid pieces are all made-to-order, also in London, and priced between £60 and £245.
Visit TheOwnStudio.com
Photography | Alicia Waite
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