For the bride who wants her wedding dress shopping experience to feel just like daydreaming in a haze of glossily polished Instagram photos, Floravere just might be the answer.
Four years after the millennial-focused company got off the ground, Floravere on Thursday opened its first permanent bridal design studio in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. The startup, backed by investors including tennis legend Serena Williams, isn’t shy about recreating the carefully curated, design-forward studio experience that its target demographic—20- and 30-something women—see on Instagram and have likely incorporated into their own surroundings.
Floravere wedding dresses, named for notable women and priced between $950 and $2,325, are inspired by the classics but updated with modern touches—and the Tribeca boutique similarly follows suit.
Prior to putting down roots in New York City, Floravere hosted customers at showroom suites “in some of the chicest hotels around the country,” the website notes, and the new boutique replicates that experience. Instead one of main area where all of a boutique’s brides model potential gowns to family and friends, Floravere’s new location features several suites so customers can savor an intimate moment with their inner circle.
Curated touches accentuate Floravere’s Tribeca space, which is designed to offer “a residential sensibility.” The first thing brides encounter upon entrance is a gallery outfitted in “serene” pale camel, blue and white punctuated by pops of saturated color. Libations flow at the wet bar (bubbly’s on the house, the website proclaims), and velvet club chairs welcome the bride’s entourage. Rounding out the space are a custom lacquered sculptural coffee table by Eny Lee Parker, white sculptural side table, vintage rugs furnished by 1stdibs, an a mid-century daybed. Each week, fresh flower arrangements by Brooklyn floral design studio Extrafloral will bring botanical beauty into the gallery. Bridal parties can browse fancy shoes, jewelry, gowns and more as they pass from the gallery and through the “dream closet” into the betrothed’s reserved suite.
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Co-founders Molly Kang and Denise Jin leveraged their previous experiences with companies like Bain & Company, luxury lingerie brand Journelle, Reformation and Guess to reimagine the bridal experience for the 21st century, raising $1.1 million in a 2017 seed round to further that mission.
“Until now, the bridal industry has been tethered by traditional, dated ideas of the ‘blushing bride’ marrying her Prince Charming,” Kang said in a release announcing the permanent store. “With Floravere, we’re creating a brand and a space that speaks to our core belief that there is no ‘right’ way to be a bride.”
Floravere brides are women who feel “empowered to break the rules,” according to Kang, and reinterpret the fairytale stereotype for her unique wedding day. “We felt that there wasn’t a brand that spoke to this very modern sensibility,” she added. “Everything we do and all our products are designed to reimagine what it means to be a bride today.”
Beyond an assortment of sleek, modern gowns, Floravere’s Tribeca boutique gets brides thinking about what else they might need for their nuptial bash. Honeymooning on a hot tropical beach? There’s a selection of swimwear from Solid & Striped on hand, and travel essentials from Cuyana. Customers can outfit their bridal look with baubles and headwear from Jennifer Behr or pick out fine jewelry from J. Hannah and Ceremony. Floravere has just about anything a bride might need for her trousseau, from Journelle lingerie, to conscious beauty supplied by Kosas, to Dedcool fragrances and home décor from The Land of Belle.
“With our New York flagship, we’ve created a retail experience that reflects how our bride actually shops: from IG to IRL,” Jin said. “Every detail of the design—from the private bridal styling closet to the in-store retail technology—is guided by an understanding that today’s millennial woman has done most of her research on us before she even steps through our doors. This offers us an unparalleled opportunity to craft a truly bespoke and memorable retail experience for each and every bride based on the rich data we have on her before she walks in the door.”
Floravere brides who can’t get to one of its showroom suites of the New York City boutique have the option to try on select styles at home at a cost of $45 per gown. It’s all part of the startup’s effort to bring a distinctly direct-to-consumer point of view into an industry rooted in tradition and change the conversation around nuptial luxury.
As Serena Williams said, “The experience of finding my wedding dress was incredibly memorable and meaningful to me so I’m thrilled to support Floravere’s mission to make the luxury bridal industry inclusive and accessible to more women than ever before.”