LEAVE HER WILDER – LUXE BOHEMIAN BRIDESMAID & RESORTWEAR
For a long time bridesmaid dresses have had this sort of ‘must be hideous’ stigma attached. So often we hear horror stories of brides having picked terrible dresses, which is swiftly followed up with “It’s totally something you could wear again.”
Leave Her Wilder is stepping out of the norm with their debut collection. It’s beautiful, creative, on trend, high fashion and completely dreamy. The designs and colours which are custom dyed are breathtaking and dresses you would kill to wear at any special occasion, over and over. The founders, Greer and Chelsea clearly got the memo and saw a gap in the market for luxe bohemian, resort wear silhouettes to captivate their buyers and make women feel beautiful and comfortable.
We love having like minded brands a part of Wild Hearts and our shows. The girls at Leave Her Wilder are killing it in the bridal game and are setting the mark high with swoon worthy dresses. We caught up with Greer and Chelsea on a recent trip to Auckland to visit their new boutique in Grey Lynn. We are super excited to have Leave Her Wilder back to join us for our 2018 Wild Hearts Wedding Fairs.
You have a background in fashion, how did you first enter the industry and what was the journey to where you have reached now (your own label and epic new store?
Having previously worked in the wedding industry and meeting many brides who continually asked where to find bridesmaid dresses; it soon became clear that there was an obvious gap in the market. A world where we knew was untapped and begging to be filled with bohemian silhouettes to captivate our girls.
Leave Her Wilder was a huge leap of faith for my business partner and I, there is never the “right” time to take the plunge into owning and running your own business, but as they say, if it was easy everyone would do it.
We were committed to opening our boutique located at 9 Great North Road in Auckland as we wanted to create a space for brides and their babes to come and try the ‘Find Your Wild’ collection and view our selection of carefully curated colours which are all unique our brand.
Leave Her Wilder, who is it for, and what inspired the first collection?
Leave Her Wilder is made for the luxe babe who is a little boho at heart; she loves free flowing silhouettes, 70’s inspired kaftan sleeves and earth rich tones. The collection was inspired by the women in our lives who live fiercely, loyally and wildly, on their own terms.
The collection resonates with the places we have travelled too and fallen in love with; the markets in Marrakech, The Caribbean seas of Tulum and the yacht-filled harbour of Antalya.
Tell us about your creative process, what is involved and where are al your beautiful designs crafted?
The designing process I use is very traditional, I’m a pencil and paper girl and avoid rendering the designs on my computer as I feel you lose the freedom that comes with the pencil on paper. Once the collection sketches are chosen we move quickly into the sampling as my designs often change and evolve once I see it on the body.
All the Leave Her Wilder gowns are proudly made in Auckland by our talented team and use all local suppliers for our fabrics
What are the plans for the future, where do you see the brand evolving and what can we expect to see in future?
We intend to release a collection each year for the following wedding season. We want to stay on trend and relevant in the fast moving fashion industry. We will also keep evolving our colour range and researching into fabric blends that work with our free flowing silhouettes.
Being spontaneous and free spirited women, we are open to all opportunities that cross our path. We endeavour to build a strong presence from our Auckland boutique and look forward to seeing all of our bridesmaids walking down the isle to stand strong with their soul sister.
| CREDITS |
Wild Hearts Wedding Fair – Auckland, Queenstown and Christchurch:
Photography: Hill Collective, Light & Type, Charlotte Kiri Photography
Runway Make Up: Bobbi Brown
Models: Red 11, Kirsty Bunny Management, Portfolio
Runway Hair Auckland: Graceful Hair Art, Hare & Hunter, Connor Adams
Runway Hair Queenstown: Pure Hair Studio
Auckland Boutique Photos: Sophie Isabella for Wild Hearts
Bali Campaign Shoot: Raskal