Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aimée Barigian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aimée, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It all started in the midst of the pandemic during the summer of 2021 when I really needed a new pair of jeans. I put on my mask and went to a big box department store. I had worn the same size jeans for years so my expectation was that the same size would fit me. I decided to try on the same pair of jeans that I have purchased before and to my dismay they didn’t fit me. I tried on pair after pair and nothing fit me. This simple shopping trip turned into a nightmare. After spending an hour in that store, I left completely defeated and in tears. How could the store change their sizing after years of the same size chart?

I didn’t realize it then but that moment was the start of a fire burning inside me to help other women not go through the same thing I just went through. I bought a sewing machine that next day and started making my own clothes. I never wanted to leave a store in tears again so instead I just decided to make my own. To put things into perspective, I have only ever taken one sewing class in my entire life. I loved that class so much but never thought I’d make a career out of fashion design so I went into Corporate America.

It wasn’t until that moment during the pandemic that I realized I now have a mission to help women of all sizes feel beautiful. What started as simple projects turned into altering my friends wedding dress. Originally, I had told her NO because how could I touch a wedding dress?! Wedding dresses are so unique, complex, and if you mess it up then you could mess up a dream wedding! After some nudging from the Holy Spirit and friends, I decided to go ahead and alter her wedding dress.

That was the beginning of Aimée Nicole Bridal. I realized I had a knack for wedding dresses when I tailored that first dress. I decided to give it a go when I made myself a pink version of the “Marie” dress from our debut collection. When I walked on the red carpet in NYC for an event, I realized that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to show women that you can be beautiful no matter your shape or size.

I didn’t just want to design wedding dresses but I wanted to start a movement. The fashion industry is notorious for modeling clothing that does not fit the average person. We are all not a size 0. We are all sizes. I remember trying those jeans on in the largest size they had in store and they did not fit me. Seeing that size label made me feel so defeated. I know I am not alone in that feeling. We are more than just a size label.

At Aimée Nicole Bridal, we do not have standard size labels. We want to remove the stigma of size labeling from the fashion industry. Instead of a small or 0, we label our gowns based on beautiful attributes of women. Some of our sizes include Kind, Confident, Loved, and so much more.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always been passionate about empowering women. I have always known that I wanted to help women in some way in my life. I didn’t realize that it was through fashion that I would be doing that. Our bridal concept has been in the works for almost two years. I have spent countless hours designing the debut collection and praying over each dress. My goal as a woman and a business owner is to show that all women are beautiful, worthy, and loved.

Aimée Nicole Bridal is a size inclusive bridal brand fighting against size discrimination one dress at a time. What sets us apart is our unconventional size chart. We do not label our sizes small, medium, large or 2, 4, 6. But rather, we label our sizes based on the beautiful attributes of a woman. Some of our sizes include Caring, Graceful, Genuine, Worthy, and so many more.

I’m incredibly proud of the brand we are building. We are not a plus size brand but we are a brand for everyone!

Have you ever had to pivot?

When creating the debut collection for Aimée Nicole Bridal, I had a specific design that I really wanted to launch. However, after many meetings with my pre-production/design partner, it was just not going to work! I was incredibly gutted but after many iterations of this dress, I believe that it’s even better now than my original design. I had to trust that God was creating the pathway for this design and all of the changes we did were for the better. The dress has gone through 3 different iterations that were all completely different and now we have the final result. I’ve got to say that this particular dress gets so many compliments and it reminds people of being in a Jane Austen novel with a contemporary twist. Hint, it’s the Jasmine dress.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I feel like the creation of this brand is a story of resilience. I had some very deep imposter syndrome when I first started this brand and sometimes it still creeps up on me. But, what I have realized over the last 2 years is that every designer is so unique and we can all learn something from each other. Yes, my background into design is very unconventional but there is a calling on my life that I cannot ignore. I have been through so many twists and turns launching this brand and it’s all a learning process. My biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs is that if you have a dream, don’t give up. Keep going! Lean on your trusted voices and professionals that you trust.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aimeenicolebridal.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/aimeenicolebridal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimeenicolebridal
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aimeenicolebridal

Image Credits
Rachel Stone, Natalie Forsythe, Keelie Graff, Haley Simmons Hastings, Hayley Cooper, Averi Beddingfield