Customization long has been a staple of the bridal gown world. Now, Amsale New York is giving its brides the power to customize their dress online and skip the boutique visit altogether.
In a nod to the trend toward ordering everything with the click of a button or tap on a screen, Amsale is courting the convenience-oriented, digitally savvy bride with a new direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform that streamlines the processes of picking out a wedding gown using 3-D images from the house’s pattern library.
Brides shopping on the size-inclusive interactive customization platform Amsale x You, can select from seven bodice styles and seven skirt silhouettes, input their measurements (from standard sizes 0 to 24) for each, add on a belt if desired, and checkout. Gowns start at $5,000, similar to the cost for Amsale’s boutique-exclusive couture gowns, with extra fees for brides who require additional skirt length.
Though the options on Amsale x You are limited relative to the breadth of the house’s collections, the platform provides a compelling value proposition for time-pressed brides who don’t want the usual nine to 12 months recommended for the usual dress-shopping, dress-buying and dress-altering process. The styles are far simpler relative to Amsale’s made-to-measure gowns; there’s a strapless sweetheart neckline on offer and a straightforward V-neck, for example. Just one style features lace and mesh. The skirt offerings eschew complexity, too, mostly hewing to A-line silhouettes, while one features millennial-friendly pockets.
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Brides opting for the direct-to-consumer offering will likely need their gowns tailored—as is customary in nuptial fashion—though the end-to-end process should still be considerably shorter than the traditional experience of buying and fitting a wedding gown.
“With Amsale x You, we virtually invite the bride into our design room, to peruse our library and empower her to design her own bespoke wedding dress,” Amsale’s chief creative officer Sarah Swann said in a statement. “We beta tested the concept at our Madison Avenue Salon and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Amsale credits business software firm Infor with enabling its digital transformation. The e-commerce platform it debuted in December has seen sales double each month. The bridal house also just launched the Amsale Retailer Partner Program, which gives stores and boutiques credit for relevant e-commerce sales. Amsale said the initiative does its part to “align the interest of the stores, the bride and the brand to ensure that the consumer has a seamless and convenient shopping experience.”
In tandem with this tech news, Amsale also announced its three latest collections: Nouvelle Amsale Spring 2020, Little White Dress Spring 2020 and Amsale Spring 2020.