JAKE team of Jake Wall, Blake Patterson, and Nathan Johnson image courtesy of Kelly Pueblo
What does the modern bride want? Well, that depends on which fashion industrial professional you talk to. Some modern brides still pine for traditional bridal fare, with lacy, long bridal trains while others are opting for comfort, ease of movement and utility.
Jake Wall, Nathan Johnson, and Blake Patterson of JAKE have got all the bases covered. Understanding that there was unfilled niche in the bridal market for garments made of interesting, innovative textiles that promote ease of movement and can be repurposed for another special day beyond the bridal ceremony, JAKE has launched a capsule bridal collection that speaks to all those unfulfilled needs.
Having established the brand on the West Coast as a fashion-forward brand that does incredible mens and women’s suiting, one would think that bridal would be uncharted territory. At first glance, perhaps, but at further observation, perhaps not!! For years, JAKE has been known for their customization business, and this customizing expertise has bad the brand fit and ready for the bridal market.
On the eve of New York International Bridal Week, JAKE spoke with Fashion Reverie about his debut bridal capsule collection.
Fashion Reverie: Why a bridal collection as this time?
JAKE: There seemed to be a need from my existing clientele which were women who expressed a need to have a very spectacular day but they also don’t want to look like the top of a wedding cake. Women who aren’t afraid to be noticed and stand out; but want to stand out comfortably the entire day, not just for the wedding ceremony. That said; for the most part what exists in bridal is very much for the aisle, but not for the entire bridal day. Our customer wants something that is appropriate for the bridal day but also something that could evoke the grandeur of a red carpet moment. This is our women’s very special day; however, she is not particularly interested in all the pomp and circumstance one has to come to expect from a wedding. They are celebrating and entertaining. Bridal day is their own personal Met Gala. We wanted to create an offering that was inventive and playful and red carpet worthy.
FR: That said; what is the inspiration for this bridal collection?
JAKE: This capsule bridal collection is heavily influenced by the romanticism of Fellini and other Italian films. Fellini movies, in particular, the women are often femme fatales. So, that was the jumping off point that gave us the sensual motivation to the collection. Then we moved beyond that and embraced old Hollywood films from the 50s and 60s that rendered that Italianate experience. Instead of trying to replicate the design aesthetic of that period we tried to recreate those looks with a modern twist and some defiance. That is why this collection in called “La Dolce Vita,” because each piece in this capsule collection is rich and each garment has an Italian name that is not easily translated into English or any other language. These dresses epitomize feeling and sentiment for that perfect moment.
JAKE Bridal Fall 2017 images courtesy of JAKE
FR: In that this collection was inspired by the mood and sentiment of Fellini films, does that mean that the garments are fitted and corseted to emphasize the feminine silhouette with plunging décolletage ala Sophia Loren?
JAKE: There is a va va voom quality to the collection. But, how that va va voom is delivered in each garment is different. There is mixed elements of corseted pieces and fit-to-flare gowns. There is drama to each garment, and the textile in each garment is different to render dramatic effect. Instead of the traditional lace you find with our wedding gowns we are using a camouflage lace on a tea-length wedding dress which gives an element surprise. We are using a very soft technical neoprene in one of our garments with flared arms and skirt. The reason we are using technical neoprene because this neoprene gives a gown movement with architecture. Our technical neoprene gown evokes those classic silhouettes we tapped into from the Fellini films, but at the same time brings in some modern, architectural feelings. This is perfect marriage of classic Sophia Loren and the modern majesty of the Guggenheim Museum, all melded together.
We really took textiles into account for this bridal capsule collection, wanting to use textiles that we hadn’t uses a lot before. Each of these looks has a different point of view when it comes to textile usage. We want to deliver to our clients is that she is subject of the on this very special day, so bow down!!
FR: How are you modernizing the Fellini-esque woman on her bridal day?
JAKE: We really are trying to take into account the wearability of the garment and what is necessary for the bride on her very special day. This gown has to look amazing as she walks down the aisle, and also look really good as she is taking pictures all day. Remember, the wedding ceremony is only three hours of a 9- to 12-hour day and the bride, we feel, wants to be comfortable and look good the entire time. We want the bride to be able to move around comfortably, eat food, sit, stand, dance, or whatever for the entire day. We want our garment to get the bride through her entire day with ease and a reasonable amount of comfort.
Our bridal jumpsuit comes with pockets. We understand that bride is not going to need pockets or use pockets as she would on a regular day. But pockets would be a great thing for a bride to have to put her small compact or lipstick of lip liner for touch-ups. Our client is an alpha woman. And for her very special day, she’s got it all figured out. She wants her friends to enjoy this day as much as she is enjoying it.
Also, we also wanted to create wedding garments that women would be comfortable wearing again. The modern bride thinks a lot about utility and she wants her wedding gown as a dress she might want to wear again, as opposed to brides from a few decades back who looked at the wedding gown as a one time experience. So, we created wedding garments that could be repurposed and worn again for another special occasion. For instance, our mermaid gown has detachable elements and can be repurposed to a beautiful white gown that can be worn again. On the men’s side of our company we have been creating men’s tuxedo jackets that can be used for weddings our other special occasions. Men have been doing this for a while and we want to now break that rule with bridal gowns, making gowns that can be worn again.
Why spend a ton of money on a dress that you are only going to wear once and stash away as a keepsake or pass down to your daughter? With our wedding garments you can revisit that special day by repurposing the garment and wearing it again. And that is something our clients really wanted!! We saw this with a same sexy couple where we designed the gown for the bride and the suiting for the lady groom. The bride was so excited about the wedding gown we made for her because she could wear it again for another event.
Image courtesy of piniterest.com
FR: How many pieces are in this capsule collection?
JAKE: There are only six pieces in this capsule collection. We wanted to keep it small, concise and specific because we wanted each garment to reflect a different mood evidenced in different textiles, coming from the same jumping off point.
FR: What are the textiles used in this capsule collection?
JAKE: We are using technical neoprene, crepe-backed satin, non-traditional layered laces, lace and sequins woven together, silk chiffon, and 3-D organza. We are also using non-traditional lace ideas; that is where the polka-dot lace comes into play.
FR: What are the price points?
JAKE: Price points range from $2995.00 to $5295.00. We are pricing for your big day, but also pricing for your continued use. These are jumping points and with customization prices can go up.
FR: The curvy or plus size market has really expanded in the US, does your bridal capsule collection include those markets?
JAKE: Because we specialize in custom fit, we are always aware that there could be a bride that is interested in garments from JAKE whose size is outside of the traditional sizing that comes from most bridal designers. From our customization market we usually do 48 individual measurements to make a pattern. So, if the bride moves off our traditional off-the-rack sizing, we move that customer over to our customization sector. Honestly, there are a lot of women who don’t fit into traditional sizing because they could be heavier on the top or bottom or both than what fits traditional sizing. A woman could be a 16 on the top, but an 8 on the bottom. If that is the situation, we can give a high caliber experience by going to our customization expertise.
FR: The bridal market is over saturated, what sets your bridal capsule collection apart from other burgeoning bridal brands?
JAKE: Our bridal capsule stands out among the vast amount of bridal noise because our bridal is truly designed to go beyond that special bridal day. More than just that aisle walk, our gowns can fit a lot of occasions. Our course, the bridal day is the focus, but we also want the bridal gown to be a living memory that can be revisited for other special occasions.
JAKE menswear image courtesy of AG Cariboja
FR: Would you ever incorporate your men’s formal suiting as a separate groom collection or just an appendage to your bridal collection?
JAKE: The answer is yes. Some of our formal men’s suiting pieces are being photographed in a bridal mode. They run the gamut from tuxedoes to suits. On the men’s side of the things the question is if you want black tie elegance and just a very formal suit. Some folks want a Kim and Kanye extravaganza to country kitsch. We have lots of options for all the variety of projections and points of view. We like to show diversity!!
—William S. Gooch
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