twobirds Bridesmaid – An Exclusive Interview With Founder Ariane Goldman + The New Party Collection

In the aftermath of such terrible news over the weekend, it’s difficult to know how to react appropriately when you manage a media outlet that is used to sharing celebratory content, every day. We halted all planned blog content and social media activity yesterday to acknowledge the events in London of Saturday evening – as we did the day following the Manchester bombings. But I hope that you will feel it’s appropriate to return today with an even stronger commitment to sharing a touch of joy, inspiration and love into the days of all those who enjoy reading Love My Dress.

On that note, it gives me much pleasure today to introduce an interview with one of the women that I love the most in the wedding world and who has inspired me for several years now. Ariane Goldman from the now-iconic twobirds brand has totally changed the world of bridesmaid dresses over the past few years – it would be very fair to say I adore her passion, vision, ethos, and of course, those beautiful gowns.

It’s a great pleasure to share not only this interview with Ariane but also to showcase the images from their latest shoot.

Tell me about your original inspiration behind the twobirds brand

“Ten years ago, I was planning my wedding and desperately looking for a bridesmaid dress that would work for my group of bridesmaids with all of their different body shapes. They all wanted something different but I wanted them to look consistent and there was nothing really out there at the time as matchy-matchy bridesmaid styling was still very much the norm. I had no idea how much finding a solution to this problem would change my life!”




“Inspired by a vintage Norma Kamali dress, I tweaked the pattern and found the perfect colour fabric for my wedding theme. Little did I know, that stunning Rosewater fabric would still be one of the favourites a decade later!”

“I was working at American Express at the time, down on Wall Street and the dress was such a success at the wedding I realised if I was looking for a solution for women of different shapes and sizes that it made sense to potentially quit my job and start twobirds. So I did!  My husband supported me and I got on the Martha Stewart show in the US soon after. The concept was so visual and understood by so many women of different body types that the idea just picked up and here we are!”

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Convertible bridesmaid dresses are still so popular! Why do you think that is?

“The multiway concept was an instant hit with brides and their ‘maids as it suddenly allowed every woman to look great and feel comfortable in the neckline of their choice while still looking consistent with the rest of the bridal party.”

“twobirds dresses are a wonderful solution. Only coming in two sizes, not only does it reduce the costs for the wedding because the dresses don’t need any alterations, but because of the versatility of the convertible straps, it can be worn again after the wedding any which way you want so you’re buying into 15 dresses for the price of 1!”

“They make women feel good and it was – and still is! – amazing to come to market with a beautiful and genuinely flattering product for women of all shapes and sizes. The dresses can accommodate any religious customs women may have to abide to, whether their shoulders have to be covered in church or perhaps they’ve had surgery or they have a tattoo or a scar… The dress can wrap any which way to make any woman meet the demands of the bride, her own style or any cultural needs.”

It’s been a very busy few months for twobirds. As well as the new Party Collection, you’ve introduced a jumpsuit and new range of separates, which I love!

“Yes! I wanted to bring in something new and was thinking to myself how do you iterate off of something that meets so many different people’s needs already?  How can twobirds provide something that can go even further than the dress?  So, to me, the separates just made sense. The multiway bodysuit is a particular favourite of mine, as I believe – in today’s economy – women want to buy smarter.  This versatile bodysuit can be worn again with a pair of jeans on a night out with the girls or with a chiffon skirt as a wedding guest. It’s a key piece that can be mixed and matched within a woman’s existing wardrobe for years to come.”

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You’ve also recently announced the Party Collection, which is a completely different look for twobirds.  Can you tell me a little more about that?

“I’m so excited about our new collection! The multiway dress has been our hero dress for ten years and no doubt will continue to be for many, many more years.”

“In the same philosophy of women being able to invest in a dress that they’re going to wear again after the wedding rather than it being a one time cost, the gorgeous new gowns have been designed with a strong focus on re-wearability and will seamlessly integrate into the existing collections, so women can choose to all wear the same dress worn different ways, or all be completely different and mix and match dresses from the Party Collection with the Classic and Tulle collections so that they can choose something they really love.”

“In terms of design, the Party Collection is a departure from our signature multiway design and features new silhouettes and shapes to give bridesmaids even more options for the big day, and beyond. There are sleeved options, classic wrap dresses and a few of the new styles have convertible aspects as well, so they can each be worn in a few different ways.”

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twobirds Bridesmaid ‘Party Collection’

Tell me ALL about the shoot…

“We wanted the shoot to be a real reflection of the cool modern girl who’s doing things her own way. I think brides have become a lot less buttoned up when it comes to how they’re allowing their bridesmaids to go about their bridesmaids styling and realising the importance of wanting your friends to be happy on your big day has grown over the years, which is really nice! Freedom to choose what you’re wearing – and how you’re wearing it – is now in the bridesmaids’ hands so we wanted to show that with the styling on the day.

The response to the images on social media has been immense and I’m so happy women are loving it and that it’s resonating with them.”

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Who is the twobirds girl?

“You know… My favourite part about twobirds is that it actually has the ability to talk to many different women. I want to say that the twobirds client is hip, chic and she’s out there taking over the world but twobirds dresses also work for women who are quiet or more private. Our collections give women the choice to show their skin and be sexy, or be covered up and conservative. Being able to provide bridesmaid dresses that women love on the wedding day and will truly wear again is what twobirds really represents: killing two birds with one dress!”

I’d just like to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to Ariane for her time and I can’t wait to see what’s next from twobirds. Whatever it is, I have no doubt it’ll be awesome!

To find out more about all of the twobirds collections, just take a look at their website.

Love,

Annabel xx

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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