Grace Loves Lace launches ‘La Bamba’ – the Australian bridal brand’s most exciting collection to date
Grace Loves Lace – the Australian pioneers of modern bridal and creators of ‘The World’s Most Pinned Wedding Dress’ – has launched its highly-anticipated 2019/20 collection – coined its most innovative and creative collection to date.
The ‘La Bamba’ campaign, inspired by the famous song and dance, features 13 new gowns alongside an exclusive range of apparel, jewellery and accessories – designed for celebration and movement.
Founder and Creative Director Megan Ziems said the new collection is marked by metallic laces and burnout silks designed in-house, alongside the brand’s first silk gown capsule – all in comfortable fits and playful silhouettes constructed with dancing in mind.
“As the original disruptors, we feel it’s our duty to turn it up a notch – giving women the excitement and authenticity they deserve. La Bamba is truly ‘luxury you can dance in’ – high impact gowns that don’t sacrifice wearability,” she said.
“Our vision has been to create gowns that are dramatic and effortless – fabrics and shapes that have visual impact whilst still being lightweight and easy to wear, rather than traditional, restrictive dresses that don’t allow women to move freely.”
It’s the brand’s first collection with new Head of Design – Rosie Keating – on board, after she joined the team from London last year. Keating worked alongside Ziems, developing exciting fabric combinations, including metallic elements, stretch lace and embellishments.
“We wanted to create bling without the bling – gowns that shine and shimmer on the skin without heavy adornment and embellishment. We focused on the scale and placement of fabric to contour the body, and using stretch lace to flatter and highlight every curve and increase wearability,” said Ziems.
The duo’s aim was to give modern women a highly diverse offering – from the directional metallic lace designed in-house, to the buttery soft silk capsule of bias-cut Crepe de Chine gowns which Ziems has been working on for years. It also inspired the development of an exclusive collection of ornate backpieces, alongside GLL’s first major range of hair accessories, purposefully-designed in new signature fabrics to complement the silk capsule.
“The idea behind the La Bamba accessories collection was to create multiple looks for each gown,” said Ziems.
“The backpieces are an avant-garde take on bridal jewellery – combining lustrous pearls and gold and silver hardware. They fall beautifully from our signature low-back styles.
“We’ve also stepped up the veil game – introducing exciting elements such as pearl studs, shimmering tulle, muted colours and silk burnout. Traditionally, brides have had minimal choice when it comes to veils – deciding between a simple tulle or silk option.
“We imagine our GLL woman might choose a long veil for added impact at the ceremony, before transforming her look from day to night using our silk or lace hair buns or scarves.”
“A selection of sheer-yet-shimmering socks and ruffled ankle accessories are romantic and fun too – encouraging creativity and individuality.
Australian supermodel and musician Cheyenne Tozzi is the ‘face’ of the La Bamba campaign, which was photographed by Emily Abay at ‘The Range’ in Byron Bay – the Spanish-inspired private residence of Tom and Emma Lane, creators of The Farm and soon to open The Beach House – East Coast.
“I really wanted a strong, iconic Aussie woman to represent this collection, and I knew Cheyenne would be the perfect choice,” said Ziems.
“Cheyenne is a natural beauty and oozes confidence, soul and character. I love her individuality – she is intriguing, interesting and unapologetically herself.”
The collection marks nine years since Ziems started Grace Loves Lace, after a frustrating search for a dress for her own wedding. The Queensland-based entrepreneur set out to revolutionise how wedding dresses were designed and sold, liberating women from the traditional bridal shopping experience through an innovative e-commerce model.
“We are not driven by wholesale seasons or trends – we play by our own rules and let passion, authenticity and creativity lead the way,” she said.
“We support ethical manufacturing and local production, and having an ‘in-house’ team means we can innovate and pivot as we need. For example, the idea for our stunning new hair buns came about from a collection of off-cuts that we wanted to turn into something beautiful, covetable and wearable – rather than waste.
“We have always designed for the woman – not the ‘bride’. Our customer is really open to new ideas and eludes tradition – and La Bamba pushes the boundaries of bridal like never before.”
The gowns – which range from $1900 to under $4000 – are now available to order on the Grace Loves Lace website and at the brand’s five international showrooms, including its newest designer suite in Dallas, Texas.
Photographer: Emily Abay Creative
Creative Direction: Megan Ziems
Model: Cheyenne Tozzi
Makeup Artist: Ashlea Penfold
Florist: Wilderness Flowers
Venue: The Range Byron Bay