By Ashanti Davis, Fashion Editor
Jaye Applewaite
Jaye Applewaite, from the Islands of Barbados, is a wedding dress designer focusing on intricate and detailed laces and beading with pearls and crystals. Jaye finds herself inspired by the destination wedding venues in the Caribbean. She prides herself on tapping into the bride’s emotions and style, creating the perfect wedding dress for them. She is extremely detail-oriented, and each dress fits the bride’s frame individually. Jaye Applewaite brides emulate a vibe that is feminine, effortless, romantic, and beautiful.
https://www.jayeapplewaite.com/about
Photo: @elizabethaustinphoto/@jayeapplewaite
Anifa Mvuemba of Hanifa
Anifa Mvuemba is the founder/designer of Hanifa’s renowned women’s brand, founded in 2012. Anifa launched her first bridalwear collection just last year, in 2023—Hanifa Bridal honors self-love and inclusion by providing designs for all women. Brides looking for wedding looks with structural features and a glamorous aesthetic should check out Hanifa Bridal.
Photo: Courtesy of Hanifa
Photo: Hanifa https://hanifa.co/collections/bridal
Instagram: @hanifaofficial
Andrea Pitter-Campbell of Pantora Bridal
Andrea Pitter-Campbell is the designer of Pantora Bridal. One of the brand’s biggest aims is to tackle the lack of inclusion and diversity within the bridal industry. Illusion mesh, a popular feature in today’s bridal gowns, is usually geared towards women of lighter complexions. However, Pantora Bridal offers illusion and mesh linings to fit Black brides. Pitter-Campbell also has bridal gowns for our more voluptuous brides with various options for alternative necklines and skirts.
Photo: Andrea Pitter-Campbell
https://pantorabridal.com/pages/image-collections
Instagram: @pantorabridal
Esé Azénabor
Nigerian-born designer, Esé Azénabor, first started creating custom evening wear. She turned to bridal design after being unable to find a wedding dress she loved as a bride, as most of the designs catered to brides with lighter complexions. Azénabor is extremely detail-oriented, tailoring her gowns to each bride’s style, features, and skin tones, and her brides appreciate that.
Photo: https://www.eseazenabor.com/about-the-designer
Photo: Courtesy Esé Azénabor
Keisha Ransome of The Lotus Bloom Co.
Keisha Ransome is a self-taught designer and owner of The Lotus Bloom Co. Ransome started her career in civil engineering and city planning but turned her passion for bridal design into a business. Ransome’s fabric of choice is tulle and her design aesthetic is whimsical and romantic. She specializes in creating bridal separates and tulle skirts, perfect for brides who want to add a touch of whimsy and romance to their bridal look.
Photo: https://www.thelotusbloom.co/about-us/
Photo: https://www.thelotusbloom.co/product-category/bridal-collection/
Jean Ralph Thurin
Jean Ralph Thurin has 20 years of experience in the fashion design space. He is a custom bridal designer who garners a lot of his inspiration from architecture. Most of his brides go for figure-flattering designs which he is able to enhance utilizing his design aesthetic of different structural lines and fabric embellishments.
Photo: https://www.jeanralphthurin.com/
Photo: https://www.jeanralphthurin.com/
Laurie Underwood of Laury Bride
Laurie Underwood was a contestant on season 14 of Project Runway, and has since launched her brand Laury Bride in 2020. Laurie creates ready-to-wear gowns as well as Laury Bride brings a touch of unique sophistication to its brides. On the designers website it states, “We recognize that each bride carries a distinct aura, a personal narrative that deserves to be narrated in the language of fine fabric and impeccable design.”
Photo: https://www.laurybride.com/about
Photo: https://www.laurybride.com/
Nardos Imam of Nardos Design Bridal
Nardos Imam is the owner of Nardos Design Bridal. She was born and raised in Eritrea, her background is in costume design, and designing dresses was a lifelong dream of hers. Imam’s bridal collections are very diverse. She has various silhouettes and style offerings and prides herself on dressing all types of women, from the bride to the mother of the bride, and those in between.
Photo: https://www.nardosdesign.com/pages/about-us
Photo: https://www.nardosdesign.com/collections/spring-2024-bridal
Christelle Dominque of MeJeanne Couture
MeJeanne Couture, founded by Christelle Dominique, is an Atlanta-based fashion house. She originally started the brand to grow her love for sewing and design. After showcasing her work at Atlanta’s Fashion Week back in 2010, her brand quickly took off. MeJeanne Couture’s specialty is custom bridal gowns, with an emphasis on custom. MeJeanne Couture is all about making the dress of their brides’ dreams.
Photo: Christelle Dominique by @fsanchezphotography
Photo: https://www.mejeannecouture.com/custom-dress-collections/custom-wedding-dress-collection/
Instagram: @mejeannecouture/@christelledominique2.0
Gbemi Okunlola of ALONUKO
Gbemi Okunlola is the London-based designer and owner of ALONUKO. With very young beginnings, Okunlola taught herself to sew at 11 years old, from there she started to design and make gowns at home. Okunlola’s luxury bridal brand ALONUKO was launched in 2013. The design aesthetic of the ALONUKO bride is sophisticated and elegant, emphasizing the bride’s natural beauty.
Photo: https://www.alonuko.co.uk/pages/the-designer
Photo: https://www.alonuko.co.uk/pages/collection-title-page
Instagram: @alonuko_bespoke @gbemiokunlola
Carly Cushnie of CUSHNIE Bridal
Carly Cushnie is the designer of CUSHNIE, a luxury ready-to-wear bridal brand. Over the past 10 years, Cushnie has designed looks with “timeless silhouettes that make her feel sexy, sophisticated, and powerful—all at once,” the designer states on her website. The CUSHNIE bride’s aesthetic is clean, and modern, and features sculptural lines tailored to fit the female form.
Photo: https://www.carlycushnie.com/about
Photo: https://www.carlycushnie.com/portfolio/bhldn-weddings-x-carly-cushnie
Instagram: @carlycushnie
