An Interview with a Bridal Designer...

Today I was lucky enough to talk to the brains behind the incredible bridal brand Modeca which came to be in 1946 in the Netherlands. I spoke with both the designer himself, Alden Misolas and the amazing Helena who has been with Modeca for years and heads up the marketing for this sensational brand. See below our questions and their answers to find out more about this Dutch powerhouse!

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Can you tell me about how MODECA came to be?

Modeca Bridal has come a long way; they first started in 1946 in Oldenzaal, The Netherlands, as a little shop that sold lace, buttons and other little haberdashery. After a while, Modeca successfully moved on and started designing hand crafted bridal designs. From that point on, the business has completely flourished!

Today, Modeca is run by Dick van Zutphen, the owner and director of this well-established Dutch bridal house. In 2016 Modeca Europe celebrated 70 years in business and our international partners celebrated in this success with us.

Where do you take your inspiration from?

Alden Misolas is the head of design at Modeca Bridal, responsible for all bridal collections under the Modeca Bridal umbrella: Modeca Collection, Curves by Modeca, Le Papillon by Modeca, Jazz by Modeca.

"Before I start a collection, I first gather all kinds of inspiration that might inspire me when designing dresses. I closely watch what the trends of the season are in ready-to-wear, as well as in haute couture. That way I can apply modern details to my dresses. I am also very much influenced by the works of leading fashion designers such as Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, just to name a few here. They also have a big impact on my creations."

Do you design with a certain style/type of bride in mind?

"My designs are always destined to all types of women," says Alden Misolas. "I try to make the collection as varied as it can be, without missing the specific handwriting that belongs to the collection itself. It is always a joy for me to see that the dresses are worn by all types of body shape. Each bride deserves to feel beautiful - especially on her wedding day”.

What does it mean to be a MODECA bride?

A Modeca Bride shines bright because of happiness and self confidence in her dress. We like to bring magic to each and every dress and each and every bride with our designs and attention to detail. We truly believe that it is more important to notice the bride behind the dress than the other way around!

What was your inspiration for your 2019/20 collection?

With our 2019 collections, we tried to differentiate the Modeca Collection with the Le Papillon by Modeca line even more than in past years. The Modeca Collection is the main collection of Dutch bridal house Modeca and has always been classy of with a hint of sexiness, without being over the top. Le Papillon by Modeca is a young collection; it is wearable and affordable Dutch couture.

Jazz by Modeca will stay as a 'separates line' with a fun and flirtatious feel. Brides can play with different combinations of body tops with skirts and pants. This year we introduced a plain crepe dress that can be combined with three different tops which will also create three different looks. It’s a fashion forward collection for a fashionable bride."

Tell me why you started MODECA CURVE?

"This season we introduced the beautiful Modeca Collection - Curves," the designer explains. We started with a small capsule collection of about 9 dresses, starting from size UK18. The idea behind this collection is to give curvy brides a beautiful, well detailed dress with sophisticated sexiness. I truly believe that curvy brides deserve to have the same amount of attention as every dress we offer. The Curves collection offers the same detailed beadings and embellishments that you would expect from a glamorous and well designed gown.

Since we all have been working on the designs for the 2020 season, it is my great pleasure to announce that Modeca will change the capsule to an independent collection, called 'Curves by Modeca' which will be launched in 2019 ready for 2020."

What is your favourite MODECA gown from any year and any collection and WHY? 

"I am not sure if I can truly point on a favourite gown...," Alden Misolas starts thinking. "Since I started in bridal design, it became my passion to cultivate ways of working creatively with shapes and colour as most traditional wedding dresses are ivory..

I work with all kinds of fabrics, weather it’s soft chiffon or taffeta or mikado. I love creating soft dresses but also voluminous ones; each kind has its own appeal. I mostly go with the flow, working with the elements available whilst considering new trends in bridalwear. Right now, we’re focusing on soft and luxurious fabrics that can be voluminous but also lightweight."

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Because our designer couldn’t pinpoint his favourite gown, I’ll take the liberty of doing it for him and say that for me, right now, my absolute favourite is ELEANORA! The soft smokey pastel grey shade combined with pale salmon pink flowers and ink blue leaves is absolutely exquisite! (See below!)

Hannah x