Bridal label Grace Loves Lace has focused on its global expansion throughout 2020, despite COVID-19.
The Queensland-based label has just opened a showroom in Seattle, while two more showrooms are set to open before the end of the year in Miami and Denver.
Driving this expansion in part, has been its continued manufacturing during the pandemic.
Thanks to its on-shore, Australian manufacturing infrastructure, the label has continued to make dresses while others were halted due to the shutdown in offshore manufacturing earlier this year.
The business has also seen its online sales increase 70% during the period, driven by virtual appointments that were launched during the early lockdowns.
Grace Loves Lace founder Megan Ziems said that the pandemic has highlighted the importance of Australian manufacturing.
"In the early days of COVID-19, the pandemic’s affects shone a light on the fact that almost all wedding dresses in the world are mass produced in treacherous, offshore factories.
"Many designers have had delayed manufacturing and cancelled collections due to this, and the impact of their manufacturing process trickled through to brides who saw their wedding gown orders cancelled, or significantly delayed.
"Since the beginning of Grace Loves Lace, it’s been non-negotiable to maintain ethical manufacturing as the
heartbeat of my brand.
"It’s very important to me to raise awareness on what we value and how women should do their due diligence when shopping for wedding gowns.
"My dream is for greater transparency in the bridal industry," she said.
Alongside its sustained trade through COVID-19, the business has also just launched its 2020/21 collection Elysian which features 11 new gowns.
The gowns – which range from $2,100 to $4,200 – are now available to order on the Grace Loves Lace website and at the brand’s international showrooms.