Melbourne’s Most Creative Wedding Dresses –

About three years ago I met a crazy talented and creative fashion designer in Melbourne. I met her in her studio and I immediately fell in love with her work. Her name is Georgia Young and she ist the head of Georgia Young Couture, my absolute favourite wedding dress designer in Melbourne. Georgia is amazingly creative and her wedding dresses are so different to everything and anything I have seen before.
When I first met Georgia, she worked in a little top floor studio on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, Australia and she was full of energy and creativity. Even though we only just met Georgia gave me two of her stunning wedding gowns for a creative shoot with two models and I was amazed not only by how stunning her designs were but also by how lovely Georgia is as a human!
I took some photos with these beautiful Georgia Young Couture wedding gowns and brought them back the next day…

And when I brought back the dresses, Georgia showed me her studio, we had a chai and she told me a bit about the story of Georgia Young Couture…here is the my interview with her from 2016:

Georgia, you’re doing lovely gowns…tell us, how did this all start? Did you study fashion design?
I taught myself to sew at the age of 12 after waking up one day and thinking ‘I want to be a fashion designer’! At 15 I started working at a local dressmakers after school where I learnt a lot more skills, then went on to study Couture at The Melbourne School of Fashion.  I worked in The Couture industry for 3 years before embarking on my own business adventure. 

Have you always had a passion for fashion?
Yes and no. I dress like a dork, but I have always had a love for design and intricate Couture work. 

And when and why did you start your own wedding dress label?
I started up about 4 years ago (scariest move ever) because it was something that I always wanted to do. I feel as though my designs were a little more contemporary and younger than the current gowns on the market. I jumped i the deep end, had no idea what I was getting myself into and it worked out. The business is of course still in its growing stage, but I am so humbled by how well it has been received so far. 

Why did you decide to design bridal gowns?
I love the intricate work and to be honest I like how much time is involved. Couture is so different from the rest of the fashion industry, I wanted to love my job and I knew that Couture was for me. I get so much enjoyment from working with brides and bringing their ideas to life. It really is such an enjoyable career. 

How did it feel to deliver the first gown to a real bride?
My first real bride is one of my best friends. At that stage I was working 7 days a week and living off baked beans. I was so worn out and exhausted (from memory it was about a 120 hour gown).
When it came to the final fitting and seeing it one her was the best feeling. That feeling has stuck with me for every client from then on. 

What inspires you?
I’m not one for fashion magazines, I tend to find them the opposite of inspiring! I am big travel person. I love art, music, food and pretty much everything. Inspiration comes to me from every angle! 

What’s important to you when designing wedding gowns?
For me I don’t actually think too much about it. Theres a big difference between designing for someone specifically and designing for a collection piece. I tend to be a little more adventurous with collection gowns because there are zero restraints. It one of my favourite parts of my job. 

Are you sewing all gowns you sell by yourself?
Once a week I have someone come in to help out with either some of the hand finishing or the sewing. She is such a great help to me! Other than that, it’s just me. 

What would you recommend a bride for finding her perfect wedding dress?
Try on everything! Most people walk out with something quite different to what they originally had in mind. Dress for your shape is also important.  

What’s the process to get a Georgia Young Couture Gown in Melbourne?
First step is deciding what you want, this normally involves 2-3 consultations before booking. We have 5 fittings with our gowns that start about 5 months prior to the wedding date. Each step, something different is happening- the draping, zip, hem, sculpting, finishing. It’s fun to watch it come together, for both the client and myself. 

 

Well…and here we are – fast forward – three years later. Georgia and I kept in touch through the years, caught up for chais and updated each other on what is happening… And when I visited her a few days ago, I decided it is finally time to bring this blogpost to life. But a lot has happened to Georgia’s and my business in the last three years, so the interview definitely required a bit of an update!

 

So Georgia…it seems like so much happened since we first met in 2016!? You have moved studios, you are launching ready to wear collections and your wedding dresses are out of Australia, too!
Maybe you can sum up what has happened in the last three years?
3 years ago things started to change.
My brand was beginning to get noticed after 3 years of hard work and building it from the ground up. I was in a small studio space in Fitzroy, working by myself most of the time and concentrating on 1 gown at a time. At the time I hadn’t even branched out to RTW (ready to wear collections). The business still felt very small but still overwhelming and hectic.
Between then and now I have changed the layout of the business. After introducing our first RTW line, I decided I enjoyed it so much that I began to move the business into that direction. The collections became stronger, the clientele grew and the brand started to take off.

How do you feel about all this?
It was the change I was hoping for. I took a massive gamble changing direction so far in, but I’m so thrilled I did it. Whilst the workload has become much larger and more demanding, in another way it feels more manageable.

What was the most exciting step for you?
My most recent exciting step was going to NYC bridal market in October 2018. I was able to meet stockist from all over the World and it helped clarify what is that makes our brand so special. From this trip, we opened up stockist in USA, Canada, Ireland and Australia.

What is the part you love most about your label?
I love that we can break the rules. I love that when I create gowns, they feel genuine to our brand and aesthetic.

What are your plans for the next 3 years?
Im currently planning a trip to Venice in Italy to shoot our next collection. CAN’T WAIT! I can’t think further than 6 months at a time, so maybe you’ll need to send me more questions in 3 years!

 

Georgia really is a wonderful woman and couture designer and I cannot recommend her highly enough to any bride-to-be!
I have tried quite a few of her dresses for my own wedding and as my initial plan was to have two wedding dresses – one for the elopement and one for our wedding party in Italy – I desperately wanted to get one of her amazing gowns. But then Ingo had a pretty horrible accident which cost us quite a bit of money and priorities changed, obviously. I decided to be grown up and reasonable and not to have to gowns…which meant I could not get a Georgia Young Gown.
But despite my sad face when I had to make this decision: I have had two fitting appointments with Georgia and loved the experience and fell in love with a wonderful dress…and should we ever renew our vows (hint, hint, dear husband!) I will get a one of these amazing gowns!

Below you can find a little photo tour through her new studio space in Carlton…And you can find more about Georgia Young Couture on her Instagram, too…