Casual clothing retailers extend selection to bridal wear

Several casual clothing retailers are expanding their lines to include bridal wear as demand for fashion-forward wedding designs at favorable price points rises, according to the a recent article by Business of Fashion.

Among these companies is clothing mainstay J. Crew, which launched its first bridal range in 2004, consisting two wedding and 12 bridesmaid dresses. At present, its line has branched out to more expensive pieces priced up to $4,000. The US-based high street apparel brand has also rolled out unconventional styles, including dresses that resemble rompers and shorts.

Multichannel lifestyle brand Anthropologie launched online bridal wear retailer Bhldn in 2011.

A number of fashion startups have also ventured into bridal wear. UK brand Needle & Thread now sells wedding dresses exclusively at e-commerce site Net-a-Porter.

Reformation, which launched its first bridal range back in 2014, meanwhile, now has four bridal collections and has seen average weekly sales for the line increased two-fold from last year. Founder and chief executive officer Yael Aflalo said that most women have difficulty finding dresses that are midrange. Either they find a cheap item for one time use, or purchase a very expensive one that is impractical.

According to costofwedding.com, the average cost of wedding in the US in 2014 is approximately $26,444.

Wedding statistics and industry trends website revealed that almost 50 percent of women spend less than $500 on their wedding gown.

In a separate survey on brides-to-be conducted by UK wedding dress chain David's Bridal, about half of the respondents said that they would want to spend less than $800 on their dresses.

View a comparison table of breathable wedding gown suppliers on GlobalSources.com