- Alonuko is known for its illusion wedding dresses, which feature sheer fabrics with lots of skin tones.
- Insider spoke to the brand’s designer, Gbemi Okunlola.
- Okunlola said she started Aronuko because she felt there was a lack of wedding dress options for black women.
Gbemi Okunlola I never thought she would become a wedding dress designer.
At the age of 11, Okunlola taught herself to sew with dreams of making it in the fashion industry. Her bridal outfit was not of interest to her.
“I was sewing regular clothes and upcycling whatever I could get my hands on,” Okunlola, now 28, told Insider over Zoom.
But her career took a turn toward bridal after two clients approached her about designing their wedding dresses.
British fashion designer Gbemi Okunlola was introduced to the world of weddings in what now seems like a twist of fate.
Okunlola said she did not position herself as a wedding dress designer when her client contacted her.
“Based on what they saw, [my] “If they wear evening wear, I can make them a wedding dress,” she said of a client who suggested to her. “I love a challenge, so I said, ‘Okay, let’s give it a try.’
A few months later, Okunlola’s sister got engaged, and she found herself making wedding dresses again.
During the design process, Okunlola realized she had a knack for creating custom wedding dresses. She also said that she developed a true passion for this craft.
“My wedding dress is definitely the most sentimental dress I’ve ever worn,” she says. She added that the design of the gown was special.
Okunlola felt she could shift her business to the wedding industry and decided to base herself in London. Aronuko Debuted in 2013 at the age of 19. The following year, she hosted her first fashion show.
Today, Alonuko ships dresses all over the world, and Okunlola designs wedding dresses for celebrities like Danielle Brooks. The brand has around 500,000 followers on his Instagram.
Okunlola expanded her brand by carving out a niche for illusion dresses made specifically for black women.
Okunlola is particularly known for her illusion gowns, which feature crystal and lace embroidery on sheer tulle bases. Although she’s not the only designer who works with Illusion Her gowns, she is one of the few designers in the world who creates gowns with Black women in mind.
The big difference is that most wedding dresses on the market feature fabrics based on white skin tones. While this works well for light-skinned brides, it doesn’t cover a wide range of women’s skin tones.
“When I was making my sister’s wedding dress, I realized that anything with a nude underlay would be nude to the wearer, and that beige tones were the only option,” says Bridal. she said about when she saw the dress. salon.
Okunlola said she thought it was “strange” that there was no option for a dark underlay, as sheer gowns are made to blend into the wearer’s skin.
“The reverse will never happen and will be considered OK,” she said.
Okunlola went into research and development mode to see if it was possible to create sheer tulle for black women. The key point is the tulle, which is thin but has a firm luster and blends well with the skin.
Okunlola said it took “a lot of work” to make the custom tulle, but it was worth it once customers started flocking to her gowns. When she thought about other options on the market, Okunlola said she felt brands weren’t even trying to cater to darker-skinned women.
“It’s not just about having a brown option, it’s about having a brown option, a beige option, a dark brown option,” she said. “No matter what color your skin is, you should feel like the dress suits you.”
Brides say Okunlola’s designs make them feel noticed
Kehinde Adekoya had a very specific vision for her wedding day, so she asked Okunlola to design her dress.
“I love fashion, so I wasn’t willing to compromise,” Adekoya said. “I knew she would be able to give birth, and she did.”
Bride Kehinde Adekoya wore an illusion dress designed by Okunlola on her wedding day.
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“The mesh matched my skin tone perfectly,” Kehinde told Insider about the Aronuko dress. “I’m dark-skinned, so it’s not easy for designers to create mesh that looks good on someone as dark-skinned as me.”
Similarly, Daisy Boateng chose to collaborate with Oakenrolla as she considers him to be one of the best wedding dress designers in the UK.
Boateng provided Okunlola with photos for inspiration, but said the final dress was even better than she had imagined. Illusion fabrics were particularly meaningful to Boateng.
Bride Daisy Boateng wears a custom-made Aronuko dress on her wedding day.
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“In the rest of the world, Band-Aids are beige. Tights are beige. In wedding dress shops, everything is beige,” Boateng told Insider. “Nothing matches.”
Boateng explained that this is why the skin-matching bodice had such an impact on her as a black woman.
“It was really important for me to be able to wear a dress that was made for black skin and look so beautiful and have that moment that white girls have had for so many years,” Boateng said. He added, “I’m grateful.”
Okunlola wants to make the process of finding a wedding dress more enjoyable for brides of all types.
Okunlola expressed to Insider her sadness that so many people are “not considered” in the fashion industry.
“Especially with bridal, it’s meant to be a really fun and sentimental experience from start to finish,” she said.
Often, that’s not what brides experience at a dress salon, she said. She shared that one of her customers visited 30 different bridal shops to find an illusion dress that matched her skin tone. No one had.
Bride Toni Norton also wore a custom Aronuko dress on her wedding day.
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Okunlola said she hopes her work will change that.
Okunlola is currently expanding the brand’s offerings.In addition to custom-made gowns, Alonuko custom made dressaccessories, new robe collection,and special corset.
“The brand we’re building doesn’t end with wedding dresses,” Okunlola said. “It’s a global brand with a long history of surprises.”
