With sustainable practises at the forefront, Alter Me is a wonderful bespoke bridal service based in Auckland, with high- quality gowns and an ethos of making every bride a part of the planning magic. Nazneen, the head designer shared with us a an outline of the journey of designing dresses with Alter Me. We admire the technical skills and service Nazneen offers.
Firstly, tell us about your gorgeous business and what services you offer.
Alter Me is known to carry-out the most extensive and high-quality workmanship when it comes to bridal dresses and evening wear. Our two main services are bespoke bridal and bridal alterations but we also provide services to clients looking for general dressmaking and clothing alterations.
At Wild Hearts Runway you showcased a few looks from your custom made pieces. Can you tell us about the process for couples looking to purchase or perhaps have a custom piece made by you?
Our bespoke service is a one-of-a-kind journey for those who like to have a stress-free experience and have their vision come to life. All our custom dresses are made specifically for the client, which means brides get to select their dress design/style, silhouette, fabrics and trims. What sets us apart is that we don’t stick to the fabric range we have on-hand; if a bride wants a fabric that our suppliers don’t stock we will go out of our way to source that fabric for her.
Our dressmaking process is stress free and is completed in 6 easy steps. This includes an initial consultation with head designer Nazneen, mock-up fitting(s), two fittings after the fabric is chosen and the final collection.
Every bride walks away with a personalised bridal folder that contains a beautiful sketch of her dress, a dry-cleaning voucher and fabric care instructions.
What inspires you when working with couples to design their gowns?
Alter Me is best known for making unique and creative bespoke pieces. When a bride walks in with an inspiration idea we like taking that to the next level and adding our creative spin on it; that can either be by using a particular fabric or design detail and brides absolutely love it because it makes their gown that much more exciting and unique to the rest of the bridal gowns that are out there! I personally get inspired by fabrics; especially patterned laces as you can really envision what the dress will look like.
Can our out of town guests expect to book consultations with you over the Wild Hearts event?
Ofcourse! We have had two brides, one for alterations and the other for dressmaking, come all the way from Taupo to use our services. As long as you’re available and can travel for fitting appointments we can definitely offer our services to you.
Do you have favourite styles for petite, curve and maternity weddings?
Body silhouettes are one-of-a-kind and every bride should wear a dress to suit her style so they feel comfortable. My personal favourites are fit & flare and ball gown silhouettes and they can be rendered for either petite, curve and maternity figures. With a maternity silhouette empire waistline suits better than a regular waistline.
Alter Me’s real wedding inspiration from clients below:
For the boho bride–Chantal Jayne / For the modern bride–Simone Lopes / For the classical bride–Kimberly Burton / For the casual bride – Julia
What are your thoughts on sustainability within the bridal industry?
We are big believers in no wastage when it comes to fabrics. Scraps of fabrics are reused in small projects such as making ties for corsets and panel work. Our mock-ups (used for bespoke bridal fittings) are reused for bridal alterations. We also offer a dress remodel service, which means we can make a new dress from an existing one. This has become more trendy as brides bring in their mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress to be remodelled into something they can wear for their special day.
Do you have any teasers on what is next for your brand?
We are expanding!! We are so heavily booked that we’re running out of space at our Botany studio and so will be looking out for a central location in months to come.
See more bespoke bridal gowns from Alter Me on our Wild Hearts Vendor Collection HERE.
