CG Boutique handpicks its designer partners with you in mind that’s why we are so excited to share this recent interview with Justin Warshaw the CEO of Justin Alexander. We asked him a number of questions about Justin Alexander and their gorgeous bridal gown creations and a few bits about them to help you get to know why we have handpicked them to work with us….
CG Boutique asks:
What made you choose to go into wedding dress designing?
Justin replies:
The company Justin Alexander was founded in Brooklyn in 1946 as T&G Veils by my grandparents, Ted and Shirley. Shirley always loved fashion and worked for a headpiece company in her twenties where she discovered a talent for crafting bridal veils and tiaras. When she suggested that she and Ted start their own business, her idea would prove to be only the beginning of what our bridal fashion house would eventually become. In the 1970s, my father and his brothers joined the business in different roles. They launched the bridal dress category in the ’80s, and my father split with his brothers in the ’90s to focus on Europe. The US side of the business shut down a few years later, and became one of my primary focuses when I joined the company in 2008. When I first started, I was involved in all aspects but really focused on building the brand and sales, including growing an in-house marketing and sales team. Within a few years, my responsibilities expanded into managing design and operations. I learned as much as I could about our products through our design team, our wholesale partners and brides themselves. I knew that I needed to deeply understand everything from the product to our supply chain to our customer to perform well in this role. Along the way, I found I had a passion for design and an intuition for understanding what brides wanted to wear. Since 2015, I have led both the commercial and creative arms of Justin Alexander, Inc. One of my key areas of focus today is effectively modernizing bridal and infusing the technology needed to make all our different business processes more efficient. I’m deeply passionate about this and am always looking to see how we can do what we do better through leveraging the latest technology.
CG Boutique asks:
What would you say sets your wedding dress designs apart from others?
Justin replies:
I would say it is eagerness to excel in multiple areas: the care that we put into the product and provide our customers, the passion to share the heritage of our company and our willingness to adapt to emerging technology and new marketing practices. Besides that we have a devoted growth mentality and an everlasting ambition. Due to our expansive and well-merchandised portfolio of brands, we are able to learn and respond to feedback and trends quicker than our competition can. Furthermore, owning and operating our own distribution centers that service 70 countries and 1,500 boutiques allows us to provide outstanding service to our wholesale partners and brides globally. We offer customization of our gowns, and quick service options for brides who seek to purchase ready to wear or do not have the luxury of waiting the standard bridal delivery lead time.
CG Boutique asks:
What do you love most about what you do?
Justin replies:
Marriage is a special moment in the lives of two individuals and families, and I love to be a part of that bond through my dresses.
CG Boutique asks:
What are the latest trends that you are seeing?
Justin replies:
I love the large statement bows and the Art Deco beadwork, which recall the '30s jazz era that we were looking to evoke. In a number of the dresses, the beading is embroidered, set on lace or all over. The mixed textures and treatments are fun as well. We played with a lot of mikado, satin, chiffon and organza, and incorporated sequined lace and both sequined and glitter tulle.
CG Boutique asks:
How are you impacted by the COVID crisis?
Justin replies:
The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us all in many ways but it’s also forcing us to innovate and change the way we work. This time is a chance for us all to think even further outside the box to find new, creative and joyful ways to build an even stronger future. We helped our retailers with setting up their own Virtual Consultations, we organised Virtual Trunk Shows and Webinars. This, in order to empower the retailers to develop skills that will help them overcome the pandemic and broaden their knowledge. Social media, communication, website optimization, Q&A with me and selling techniques and tips from top stylists around the US experience sharing on overcoming common objections and turning around a negative experience with clients additional professional training resources are covered.
Thankfully next seasons collection was pretty far along, and I was able to finish the collection before things became too difficult. Now, during the crisis, I am relieved that the designs are still resonating and garnering positive reactions, a sign that brides are still hopeful and inspired to get married one day in their dream dresses.
CG Boutique asks:
What advice would you give to brides to be when looking for their wedding gowns?
Justin replies:
I am dedicated to give every bride across the world the chance to find a dress that reflects her femininity, personal style and spirit during the most important day of her life. My advice is to wear a gown that reflects your personality!
CG Boutique asks:
Describe a day in the life of me as a designer?
Justin replies:
As CEO and Creative Director, I wear a lot of different hats, and my days can vary incredibly depending on whether I am running through best-selling product analytics with my merchandising and sales teams, sketching next season’s styles in the studio, on set at a photo shoot location or working through a new product launch with marketing. What I love the most can also be the most challenging, and that is constant multi-tasking, shifting through a variety of tasks and solving problems. It is important to me that I am accessible to my colleagues to ensure they can get their jobs done. I am lucky to have an outstanding team that shares a passion for the company, our customers and our products.