Ditch The Dress

On the 29th March 2014, the UK saw its first same-sex marriages take place. It was a landmark moment in the history of LGBTQ+ rights and the weddings themselves were a testament to love in all its forms. Five years on from this historical milestone, we look at how the wedding industry has changed and how we, at King & Allen have seen our business grow in exciting and unexpected ways, particularly in our provision of bridal suits for women.

“Before the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act was passed in 2014, many LGBTQ+ people believed they would never have a wedding day, so being able to legally marry is a profound milestone in their lives and relationships,” says King & Allen co-founder, Jake Allen. “The wedding industry has traditionally centred on the motif of heterosexual couples; with the man in a suit and the woman in a bridal dress. But, since this legislation, LGBTQ+ couples are not only celebrating the fact that they can have their love and commitment enshrined in law – they’re also enjoying all the fun and creativity that comes with planning a wedding. And fashion is often at the heart of this.”

Indeed, since the law was passed, we have seen our business change in a fundamental way and have become the market-leaders in providing bridal suits for LGBTQ+ weddings. We are seeing a massive increase in the demand for women’s tailoring and the wedding market makes up a huge proportion of these sales. Indeed, many of our lesbian clients tell us that the idea of wearing a wedding dress makes them feel genuinely uncomfortable. The rise of women’s tailoring and the possibilities for customisation, opens up a new world of wedding day possibilities for these clients. And it's not just King & Allen that are seeing this upward trend, Pinterest recently reported that suits were set to be one of the biggest bridalwear trends of 2019.

“I believe that the chance to customise your wedding day and express your individual flair should be open to all.' Says Jake. "We’ve created thousands of suits for women over the years, so we know how important it is to create a suit that fits perfectly. Women don’t want to feel like they’re getting a man’s suit that’s simply been adapted. We firmly believe that bespoke tailoring is the ultimate equaliser in the fashion world. We aren’t interested in making assumptions so, when a client comes to see us, we are simply led by their story and their style.”