Exclusive Interview with Liz Young, Madi Lane Bridal Chief Creative Officer & Designer

In an exclusive interview with Bridal Times, Liz Young, Madi Lane Bridal Chief Creative Officer & Designer, reveals more about her unique and creative style, the worldwide success of the Madi Lane Brand, and the exciting launch of the new luxury “Jeune Collection” this Spring.

 What made you want to start making wedding dresses? Tell us about your journey.

My background in bridal retail and wholesale spans 23 years in both Australia and international markets and covers basically every departmental area inside these sectors, except accounting! After spending years styling brides and running a chain of stores, I noticed repeatedly that a large portion of brides were tiring of the traditional and structured look that mainstream bridal offered and were looking for something new and contemporary with more of a designer flair. Boutique designer labels offered more modern pieces but didn’t always cater to the variety of body shapes and sizes that make up the feminine collective. And so, after failing to find what we needed, I began to design gowns that reflected the feedback I was receiving from our brides, and Madi Lane was born! Madi Lane designs were an instant hit with brides in Australia and very quickly became the top selling label in the store chain, so after garnering a strong following with Australian brides, we decided to take her to the global bridal market in Fall 2019. Our debut season saw international retailers fall in love with our Madi Lane gowns just as quickly as our Australian brides. And as they say, “the rest is history”! We have partnered with wonderfully passionate and like-minded global retailers who really are like our family, and of who’s support we are so appreciative of.

I LOVE my job. I am so grateful that I get to do what I love and love what I do. It is a very special experience for me to create something beautiful that didn’t exist in the world before I created it, and something that brings joy to the beautifully diverse brides of the world. I am very honoured and my life seems to consist of a lot of “pinch me” moments when I think about how far we have come and how many incredible people we have got to meet and connect with along the way. It’s been a wonderful journey.

The Madi Lane brand exploded rather quickly though out Europe and worldwide. What do you think brides love so much about your wedding gowns? 

The Madi Lane bride doesn’t fit into one neat category, she is not clearly defined. She is the modern, the traditional, the boho, the minimalist, the glam, the classic, the fashion forward, the romantic, the “extra”, and everything in between. She is harmoniously representative of all that is bride – beautifully diverse in every way, and widely celebrated for her individuality. The Madi bride is illustrative of our core design foundation that has driven every collection since our launch in 2019 –modern, meaningful, beautiful and affordable designer gowns with soul that reflect the myriad of style, flair, shape, and authenticity that make up the modern feminine collective. One label for all women; for all wedding visions; and for all love stories. A place where every bride can find that one gown that is represents the essence of who they are, the one that makes them feel beautiful, confident, and unique. Designs which emphasise style over fashion, inspire love and romance, and are created with every bride in mind.

When it comes to designing new pieces or collection, how do you stay so creative yet produce fresh new looks each time?

My designs are created with every women in mind, and their multi-faceted beauty of diversity. The inspiration for every design is as diverse as the gowns themselves and the women who wear them, traditional and modern art, architecture at home and abroad, street fashion (from the funky to the very feminine), fabrics of every kind, the diversity and romance of nature, individual culture fashions, and of course individual and remarkable women who inspire, impress, and influence. Underpinning all, is the foundation basic inspiration of feminine beauty – in all its forms. The modern bride is my quintessential muse. All I design and create is done with a focus on bringing joy and sentimentality to their special “I Do” moment.

My mind is constantly in the process of creating designs. Sometimes they start to form after I see something that sparks my imagination and creative brain, other times they start to form almost involuntarily. My family tells me they know when my creative mind is brewing and visualising because a glazed and faraway look comes over my eyes and I start to get in my own world in the middle of whatever I’m doing. I always feel terrible about any kind of disconnection in a moment with others, so it’s something I’m trying to harness a little more!

We are excited to hear about the new Madi Lane and Evie Young Collections! Tell us about it!

The global pandemic ushered in the trend of “anything and everything” for bridal fashion, as brides look upon their celebrations with heightened fervor, feeling, and flair. With a lot of brides having to postpone their “I-do’s” and a pause on parties, weddings are back with greater zeal and heightened excitement, and we’re seeing this flow into wedding dress trends. The post-pandemic bride collective is more diverse than ever, and so are their wedding dresses! From the more traditional to the very modern, we’re seeing almost every trend have a place on the stage at the moment, and I have designed our Fall 2023 collections for Madi Lane and Evie Young with the same broad stroke vision as that of the modern bride.  From silhouette to embellishment, fabric type to architecture, this season’s compilation is a symphony of trends, specifically orchestrated to for the post-pandemic bride. Floral and geometric laces, beaded and boho embellishments, and minimalist fabrics aplenty, every bride can find her “one” represented this season. With such a strong emphasis on the glitz and glamour of wedding events, this season’s collections bring with them a strong focus on the “extra” – more layers and dimension, more beaded and sparkle, more precision in placement. All presenting an elevation of design and decadence never before seen in our brands. I’m excited to share them!

Evie Young’s seventh collection, ‘Gala’ boasts 24 elevated designs, embraces celebration, and dedicated to the opulent events and wedding grandeur set to unfold. Featuring modern and intricate accents of lace and beading on sculpted silhouettes, these new designs breathe luxurious yet obtainable couture-inspired pieces for the brides of tomorrow.

Reminiscent of summers abroad, Madi Lane’s new collection, ‘Baciami’ (Kiss Me), tells the story of travel adventures with girlfriends, sharing tales of infatuation and meet-cutes on the streets of exotic towns. An evolution in itself, the new ‘Baciami’ collection features 28 elevated and decadent designs created exclusively for the modern bride. Staying true to our romantic and alluring roots, ‘Baciami’ introduces luxurious new fabrics, embellishments of artfully placed sequins, beads and glitter, and layers of embroidered laces with 3D floral. A compilation of silhouettes, this season is a celebration of design elements and accents, fusing our signature style with a heightened design aesthetic never before seen in Madi Lane.

And Congratulations on the launch of the new high end “Jeune Collection”! What inspired you to launch this special collection?

I have always dreamed of creating a higher end label, a label that represents the bride who seeks luxury and an added refinement in all her life experiences. A little over a year ago, I started to have designs generate in my mind that I felt sat outside of the branding and spheres of our current labels, Madi Lane and Evie Young. And so I thought, maybe it’s time! With Madi and Evie maintaining momentum and evolving from strength to strength, it felt like the perfect moment to move into the next phase of the Madi Lane Bridal Group journey.

After making the decision, I spent a lot of time delving into the brand development in my mind, exploring my instincts and vision for the brand and how I saw it creatively before discussing and brainstorming in more detail with my creative team. The environment and presentation for these new designs needed to be one where the designs did all the communicating. A pure and sophisticated space of raw beauty, soft neutrals, and oozing elegance and nouvelle refinement.

Our first campaign “One” represents the overall vision and branding of our new label, “Jeune”, and was executed perfectly and collaboratively with our in-house creative team. I am ecstatic with this campaign and the presentation of the debut collection into the global marketplace.

Can you tell us about a gown or style from the Jeune Collection you are personally excited about?

Jeune Bridal gowns are modern, fresh, sophisticated, a little dramatic, and thoroughly luxurious. After the recent years of cancelled events and restrictions, more brides than ever are leaning in towards luxury fashion and heightened experiences, with an increased focus on living every moment to its fullest and grandest. Jeune Bridal brings an elevated bridal gown moment to the industry, with the flair and flavour of what I know brides love and need in such a sentimental and statement fashion piece.

Here are five of my favorites…

OLYMPIA

Created from a damask embroidered organza with metallic thread highlights, Olympia is extravagant and exquisite. Olympia is one of my favourite pieces from this new collection, purely because she is cool, confident and courageous and absolutely stunning, of course.

SEDONA

Sedona blends the contemporary with the contrasting in her creation. Created using abstract beaded laces in her embellishment and subtle illusion panels in her patterning, she is for the chic and contemporary bride who is intrinsically stylish and elegant.

AMALFI

Amalfi is for the embellishment loving brides. A compilation of beaded laces and everything textured, she is elegant and exquisite. Taking her inspiration from the upper echelons of evening couture, she is sleek in her silhouette yet daring in her detail.

LONDON

London speaks to the soul of the 3D lace loving brides of the world. With delicate and intricate lace detailing that has a sparkle dimension to its background, she is figure hugging and ornate. Her illusion panelling and front bodice plunge add a seductive flair to her silhouette and overall ambiance. An unexpected element to her design is the combination of coverage in her jacket, stylishly cut and fashioned.

ATHENS

Another of my favourite pieces from this first Jeune collection is Athens. Created from luxurious beaded lace in a linear patterning, she is inspired by extravagant evening events on terraces with summer sunset lighting. Her soft gold infused colouring is modern and a perfect union for the colour-loving and individual bride, desiring less of the tradition and more of the unique in her bride vision.

How soon will retailers be able to view the Jeune Collection first hand?

Our debut collection, “One” will be showing at most major trade shows around the world this coming season, along with our Fall 2023 collections for Madi Lane and Evie Young. In the UK and Europe, we will be showing at London Bridal Week (booth C22), European Bridal Week (booth 3.E 166) and Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week (booth 2B239), where our gowns will be shown on our own private runway. With appointments filling up quickly, and such a huge response to our Jeune teaser, I would recommend booking an appointment as soon as you can if you’re interested in becoming one of our first retailer partners – she’s going to be popular!

With so much great news coming from the Madi Lane brand, what are you most proud of?

Oh wow, that’s a hard question. There has been so many parts of this adventure that have brought so much joy to my heart. I am definitely proud of being resilient enough to keep focusing on the bigger picture and goals, to keep working and pushing to achieve dreams, and to believe in myself enough to give it a go and never give up.

But mostly, I am actually more grateful than proud. Grateful for our wonderful team members who are so passionate in their respective positions in our varying departments around the world – from marketing to design support to brand reps to customer service to office and IT support to logistics and warehousing to accounting and purchasing teams, and our executive teams. Every member of our team brings a dedication and love of their respective craft, and all bring something exceptional to our brands, that when combined creates magic! Team work truly makes the dream work.

I am also very grateful to our wonderful stockists/ retailers who have shown so much love and support to me, our brands, our global team members, and our brides. I have always believed that the best relationships are those built on the principles of partnership, and our retailer family have become just that – our family. Speaking on behalf of all our global team, we love and appreciate you all! Thank you for believing in us, our brands, our mission, and for joining us on our journey – it’s been a wild ride and one that we hope will continue forever.

And equally, I am grateful beyond words for our brides, whose happiness is our ultimate goal. Without our brides seeing beauty, value and sentimentality in my designs and a connection with our brands and retailers, our adventure would never have gained momentum or brought as much excitement and joy. And for that, no amount of thank you’s could ever be enough! They are the reason for all we do.

We would like to thank Liz Young of Madi Lane Bridal for this interview.

For further information on the brand and collections, visit Madi Lane Bridal