18 Questions with Pippa Cooke of Bon Bridé
MODERN DETAILS. VERY BON BRIDÉ.
Name:
Pippa Cooke.
Occupation:
Designer/ Founder.
What made you launch Bon Bridé?
A bad experience trying to find my own dress.
Sum up Bon Bridé’s customer in a sentence:
The Bon Bridé girl has style. She’s cool, different and doesn’t follow trends.
What do you think is missing from bridal at the moment?
A conscience.
What’s the worst bridal fashion cliché?
Bows - I really dislike them.
What was the inspiration for the collection?
My first collection was very easy to design. I pulled out some staple wardrobe pieces and simply made a wedding dress version - round neck lines, long sleeves, pockets, zips at the cuffs, roll necks. All the skirts fit in a particular way, they hang beautifully from the hip and don’t cling to the body. We also have a lot of grosgrain ribbon detail at the waist, which is super contouring for lots of shapes. The fabrics and the quality are so important to me and the dresses look as beautiful internally as the do externally.
Should every bride wear white?
Absolutely not, but white, ivory and cream are among my favourite colours – they’re so luxe and always looks so new.
Most interesting/unusual request you’ve had from a bride when it came to a dress?
A pocket for her cigarettes.
Where should someone start when planning an excellent bridal look?
Department stores. Try on evening gowns and get used to wearing different silhouettes.
You’ve referenced your designs reflect everyday fashion – can bridal sometimes fall into the costume department?
Absolutely - and that can be great for certain people, different characters etc…But a Bon Bridé dress is for someone who is so happy within themselves and just wants to feel comfortable, but still sexy and chic.
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
Designing and seeing that creation come to life, from toile to final product.
What’s the worst thing about “typical” bridal in your opinion?
Mass manufacture.
What’s your bespoke process like?
It’s super personal, I absolutely love creating mood boards - always physical boards too, not digital. I’ve collected so many references over the years and I love re-using them for our bespoke brides. We start by sketching like mad until we get an idea that works. We then make the sketch 3D and create a toile, which is a mock-up of the dress, from here we can cut away at bits and sew bits on, so the bride really gets a feel and look for the gown before we make it up in the chosen fabric. Then the dress is then pinned and stitched to fit like a glove.
Are you seeing a rise in bespoke requests?
No not really, I think we have now established the collection since our launch last year and now people are trusting us and buying straight from the collection - it’s so nice to see.
We love that you have a wear again service – what made you come up with that?
It was always one of the big objectives when I set out to create Bon Bridé. I went from working in fast fashion to luxury fashion and the difference struck me. I hate waste. I’ve always shopped vintage or saved and bought luxury. I hate how so many millions of garments a week alone go to landfill. We have to rethink how and what we purchase, if it doesn’t have longevity then it shouldn’t be bought.
Most common worry from your brides in 2020/21?
At the moment it’s - will I even get married this year?
Finally, who is your dream “alternative bride”?
My top 3 - Zoë Kravitz, Pernille Teisbaek and Erin Wasson.
Discover more of Bon Bridé’s sleek aesthetic for yourself - https://bonbride.com/
