We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marteal Mayer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marteal, thanks for joining us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

At Loulette Bride, we do everything we can to be sustainable, responsible, and a positive and progressive voice in our community and within the bridal industry. For so long and to this day, the bridal industry is one that has relied on tradition, sameness, and has been afraid to break any molds. We have set out to change that, to be a model of how to do things better, and stand for more than the traditional white dress. As a woman-owned business founded on principles of inclusivity, sustainability, and progressive values, we have dedicated ourselves to donating proceeds of various products to non-profit organizations that align with our beliefs and support causes we care about.
For every gown sold, a tree is planted in that bride’s name with One Tree Planted, and we donate all our fabric scraps to FabScrap.
Each season, we partner with a new charity that shares our values to continue our mission of changing the fashion industry and improving our community, one dress at a time. So far, we have partnered with GLSEN, The Brigid Alliance, Sunrise Movement, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, The Bee Conservancy, Pretty Brown Girls, The Lower East Side Girls Club, Women for Afghan Women, NYC Health and Hospitals, and more.

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

I grew up an artist and interested in sewing, but I did not set out to work in the bridal industry. I started as a Painting major in college, switched to Fashion Design, and then took my first job as a design assistant for a private label company in the fast fashion industry. I was immediately saddened and disappointed by the overproduction, design plagiarism, exploitation of overseas factories, and wasteful practices of the fast fashion industry. I tried to get into higher end evening wear, and eventually learned about the bridal industry, which is the absolute opposite end of the fashion spectrum: a made to order business model that focuses on quality, can be made locally, and requires thoughtful design and a thoughtful purchase.

Starting my own bridal collection started as a nights and weekend passion project while I worked a full time job as a designer for another bridalwear company, and eventually I was forced to make the leap to working for myself. Working for other bridal companies gave me the perspective of how I wanted to operate and manufacture: zero inventory, made to order, made locally and ethically, made of quality materials, made as low waste and sustainably as possible, customizable and inclusive to all sizes, genders, and skin tones. These ideas have evolved to become a set of core values that have become our greatest asset- our brand identity.

These values are what sets us apart from other bridal stores and bridal shopping experiences. While traditional bridal stores still operate as the “middleman,” meaning they simply order a gown from a designer in the closest size according to the size chart offered, we are bridal shop, designer, manufacturer, and alterations specialist all in one. We are able to offer a comfortable, welcoming experience to clients who feel they have been “othered” by the bridal industry. At Loulette, we make in known that we support each and every one of our clients, no matter who they are or who they love. Our designs and customization process ensures that every person can find wedding attire they feel comfortable and beautiful in. We are able to make anything, in any size, and are a part of the bridal attire journey with our clients from start to finish.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes! As mentioned previously, creating a bridal line was a nights and weekends passion project. What made the bridal industry feel attainable to enter was the fact that it is a made to order business- meaning I did not have to invest in inventory, and I could start slow and just make what I sell. My initial financial hurdle was just the supplies to create 8 dresses myself, and save up to get myself a booth at the next upcoming New York Bridal Market. I intentionally picked a field that had a low entry point as far as capital was concerned.
From there, it snowballed to allow me to get a $400/month shared studio space (the back corner of a florist studio in Greenpoint Brooklyn, where we still work to this day, except we have the whole space!) begin hosting clients, and continue to just make what I sold. I created the samples myself, but worked with a local Garment District sample room to sew my production orders. I carried bundles of garment bags back and forth on the subway from Greenpoint to the Garment District every week, with rolls of fabric and a backpack full of lace and supplies.
We were able to scale slowly and organically, with help from a 2019 New York Times article on Brooklyn Bridal, as well as an investment in SEO search-ability!
A key milestone for me was being able to hire my first full time staff member- our beloved seamstress Sanaa, who is still our head seamstress and master tailor to this day. I hired her full time in 2019, and she has been a key to our success! And has saved me countless hours of subway rides back and forth to sample rooms.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

We manufacture all our gowns right here in our studio. When I started the brand, one of the most important factors for me was being able to have a hands-on manufacturing process, creating garments locally, and being able to oversee our construction and quality. While I am able to sew, I am not a professional seamstress, and have always needed to outsource our production sewing to women much more talented than myself! I already had knowledge of construction and design, but have done plenty of YouTube learning along the way! One of the most important lessons in being a good business owner is being humble enough and strategic enough to know your strengths and learn what you can, but also be able to find people who bring something to the table that you either can not offer, or that they do better than you. Starting out, I, of course, tried to do EVERYTHING myself in order to save money. But, when you get to the point where you can afford to hire someone who has more knowledge and talent than you in a certain area, DO THAT.

Contact Info:

• Website: loulettebride.com
• Instagram: @loulettebride
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LouletteBride/
• Linkedin: Marteal Mayer
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/loulette-bride-brooklyn
• Other: TikTok @loulette_bride

Image Credits
Chellise Michal Photography, Far Out Feeling Photography