Lovelies, the rumors are tru… We are thrilled to welcome Truvelle to the Lovely Bride family! Our newest designer creates dreamy, effortlessly ethereal gowns in Vancouver, Canada and is available in our New York City, Houston, and Cincinnati stores. With intricate back straps and non-traditional beading, their styles have a modern twist while still remaining timeless. Gaby Bayona, the designer of these swoonworthy gowns, founded Truvelle 5 years ago when she was just 21-years-old. Since then, she has grown from a one-woman-show in her living room to a team of 30 staff members in a local Garment Studio in Vancouver. We caught up with Gaby to talk about the new collection and her best advice for young women entrepreneurs. Check out the Q+A + collection below and then make an appointment to see the stunners in person here.
Meet Gaby Bayona, Truvelle’s Founder + Creative Director
Describe the Truvelle bride.
I like to think of our bride as cool, kind, and laid back. She’s pretty in a really effortless way and, while she’s not too outspoken, she’ll always have something witty ready in her back pocket. When it comes to her wedding, it’s all about the subtle, thoughtful details.
Your story is so inspiring. Tell us how you got started!
My mom had a custom bridal shop growing up so I grew up in the wedding industry. When I decided to branch out onto my own, I started as a one-woman-show, doing everything from design to taking bridal appointments out of my living room. Etsy definitely helped us grow in the first year and got the Truvelle name out there. Slowly, I hired one person, then a few more, and now have an incredible team of 30 staff. We definitely don’t fit in my apartment anymore, but are proud to carry on the same, mindful production process of handcrafting wedding dresses on a made-to-order basis from our local Garment Studio in Vancouver’s creative Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. Everything from design to final stitch is done within these four walls, keeping our team connected to each other, every part of our process, and our brides.
What was the inspiration behind the 2019 Collection?
I love to travel and would be lying if I said the different places I’ve seen and people I meet don’t inspire + motivate me. I try to capture that in our collection look books by finding epic hidden spots in little corners of the world. I’ve always looked to other brands and businesses outside of bridal too; there are so many creatives doing cool things. I like to think of them all as my peers and we can learn so much from each other. Our team also makes a big effort to keep closely connected with our brides and stay super receptive to what they’re looking for, so that feedback definitely comes into play when designing new collections.
Do you each have a favorite gown from the collection?
From our signature collection I love the ‘Carrall.’ From last season, the ‘Mary.’ From this season, the ‘Annie.’
What aspect of the design process do you love most?
It’s funny — making dress patterns used to be something I really disliked, but lately it’s turned into my favorite thing. It’s really rewarding to see things go from paper to dress + I’ve learned to love the problem solving required when something doesn’t fit quite right.
What’s your best advice for a young woman entrepreneur?
My mantra has always been to just start something, even it’s not perfect, because often times being fussy can cause something to never get completed. However, the advice I’m giving myself right now is : if somebody says that you don’t know what you’re doing because you’re young, then prove them wrong.
gown pictured above – ‘Alannah’
gown pictured above – ‘Annie’
gown pictured above – ‘Bea’
gown pictured above – ‘Kyra’
gown pictured above – ‘Meredith’
gown pictured above – ‘Pamela’
gown pictured above – ‘Vicki’
gown pictured above – ‘Sara’
