Why do you exhibit at Bridal Week Harrogate? How did you find this year’s show?

Bridal Week Harrogate is a key event in our calendar. With our brand being relatively young we are still very much focused on growing our network of retailers in the UK and Ireland, and with it being the biggest UK trade show for the bridal industry Bridal Week Harrogate gives us an unparalleled opportunity to engage with prospective buyers. Bridal Week Harrogate is also an unmissable event for the majority of our existing retail partners, so it provides the perfect platform for us to launch our new collections each year and to see so many of our customers in the same place and at the same time.

There was a marked contrast between this year’s show and the last, but nonetheless Bridal Week Harrogate was a great success for GAIA. Buyers were being much more strategic and considered, with many we spoke to expressing concerns about the current economic climate and how the rising cost-of-living issues might impact their sales. In many ways these circumstances benefitted GAIA, as our existing retailers have seen strong repeats right across the collection over the last year and were keen to add more GAIA styles to their rails and take the difficult decision to cut labels that they feel have been less successful for them. Once again our new collections were met with an overwhelmingly positive response (which is always a huge relief after spending many months creating the new styles!) and we were delighted to welcome new retail partners for both our GAIA and BELIEVE labels.

How did you decide on which designs to put on the Bridal Week Harrogate runway?

It’s so difficult! We always want to be able to showcase so many of the new styles on the runway but sadly we have to be very selective. We tend to choose styles that have real “wow-factor” – these aren’t always the most commercial pieces, or ones that we feel will achieve the highest repeat sales, but often they’re the ones that will leave the greatest impression in the minds of the buyers when the show is over and make them curious to come to the stand to see what else our brands offer.

What was it like seeing the designs come to life on the catwalk?

It’s always incredibly emotional seeing the designs on the catwalk in the Royal Hall! It’s a beautiful venue and the lighting, the sound, the choreography, and the models are always so amazing, so when the lights go up and you see your gowns coming down the runway you can’t help but be moved by the theatre and spectacle of the occasion.
We always bring our whole team to watch the show on the Sunday evening – it’s a great celebration and a very proud moment for everyone!

Where do you look for creative inspiration, and how do you keep your designs fresh season after season?

Inspiration for new designs comes from a whole range of places – trends that have emerged from some of the big fashion houses in recent years definitely have an influence. However, the design process often starts with the fabrics. Often even before putting pencil to paper we liaise with our fabric suppliers to get samples of the latest fabrics and laces, some of which will spark ideas for designs. We’re also conscious that trends often work in cycles, so we will sometimes look at styles that have proven to be popular in previous collections and see whether we feel that we can re-invent them by evolving the design, using more modern fabrics.

Can you pick out your top three designs from the runway and tell us a bit about each of them?

Three of our favourite styles from this year’s runway show are: ‘Faith’ by GAIA, which is a beautiful, off-the-shoulder fitted gown in heavy crepe with an exaggerated ruffle collar; ‘Addison’ by GAIA, an off-the-shoulder ballgown in satin with a ruched bodice and a full skirt that’s split to the thigh, which proved to be one of our most-popular styles; and ‘Brixton’, a minimalist gown in soft satin which was paired on the catwalk with our ‘Ritz’ cape, which is embellished with pearls and edged with feathers.

Do you have any trend forecasts for the year ahead? What’s going to be popular with brides in 2023?

A-lines, ballgowns and softer silhouettes are going to remain popular in 2023, as well as exaggerated design details like deeply-plunging necklines, high collars and big, flouncy sleeves. Satin is also making a big comeback and we’re likely to see matte satin being used in more minimalist styles as well as crepe.

Click the link below to watch GAIA & Believe by GAIA’s full catwalk: