If you scroll through British Vogue’s wedding section, you will notice that many of our recently featured brides have been gravitating towards one particular brand lately: The Own Studio. Stylist Gemma Sort Chilvers opted for the London label’s drop-waist silk-mikado gown (style 075) for her Spanish wedding, before dyeing it pink to rewear at a friend’s nuptials; jewellery designer Hannah Lawrence was drawn to the brand’s elegant column dress (style 111) for her surprise wedding at The Ritz; while talent relations manager Ellery Romanko picked out a backless halter-neck gown (style 116) to go with her custom Jimmy Choo shoes.
In fact, The Own Studio seems to have cornered the market for the UK’s minimalist yet fashion-forward brides – which was exactly the intention of founders Jess Kaye and Rosie Williams when they launched the brand back in 2019. “It all started when I was getting married about 10 years ago now, and I was looking for something very sleek and contemporary,” Kaye tells Vogue of how the idea for the label first came about. “It just didn’t really feel like there was much out there – [everything] was much more traditional.”
.jpg)
Rather than rushing into setting up their own brand, though, the pair – who both come from the world of PR – instead took their time to perfect their designs. “It was about three or four years from that point because we took so much time to develop that first collection,” Kaye explains. “A lot of it was really driven, and still is, from what we love. I think what’s made us successful is that we do have a very defined aesthetic, and that is because it’s very much through our lens.”
Indeed, many of The Own Studio’s most popular silhouettes – from the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy-inspired slip (style 008) that Kaye designed for her own wedding to the halter-neck styles – originated from the brand’s very first collection. “We’re quite conscious not to just have a constant conveyor belt of new designs,” Williams reflects, noting that even if past styles have been archived, it’s possible for brides to revisit them. Still, the pair are keen to continue updating their pre-existing silhouettes, as seen with the organza detailing on their latest column dress, or the pearl detailing on their backless halter-neck style. “We love to update them and add an extra twist, so that every bride feels like they’ve got something different,” Kaye continues.
%2520copy.jpg)
From the start, the designers have purposely opted for natural fabrics – predominantly silk – to create their designs. First and foremost, because they wanted an emphasis on quality, but also because natural fibres are easier to dye, if brides – like Gemma – want to transform them afterwards. “That rewear piece has just been part of our story since the beginning,” Williams notes. “The whole idea was that we felt like there wasn’t really a fashion label that happened to do bridal. The fabrics, the silhouettes – we really mean it [when we say] you can wear it again.”
The ease with which The Own Studio’s simple yet elegant designs translate into evening wear sparked the launch of the label’s occasion wear line last year, with the likes of Marisa Abela, Olivia Dean and Jessie Ware sporting its dresses on the red carpet. “It just felt like the next natural step because our cuts and silhouettes do transcend bridal,” Kaye says. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response.”
.jpg)
That synergy between a bride’s regular wardrobe and the wedding dresses The Own Studio creates is undoubtedly one of the reasons it’s seen so much success to date. “When we meet our clients, they’re very much like, ‘I want something timeless, I want to feel understated, I want to feel like me,’” Kaye adds. “That is what our bride is really looking for.”
