Sassa Jimenez for Vestido lace dress with tulle-trimmed sleeves. Photographed by Renzo Navarro for the August 2024 Issue of Vogue Philippines
Designer Sassa Jimenez unveils a nine-piece, one-of-one zero-waste bridal collection in collaboration with Vestido: “I felt like the new type of bride is someone who is conscious of the life span of her clothes.”
Designer Sassa Jimenez liberated unconventional romantics from the bounds of tightness paired with her signature flounce and ebullience, while curated fashion rental service Vestido freed fashion girls from the hunt and the eventual maintenance of occasion wear. Business has been hectic for both studios with the return of in-person weddings, but sparks of inspiration are never far behind.
Jimenez, fresh off her own wedding in March 2023, noticed a trend: “A lot of women have moved away from tradition, choosing to celebrate their special day in garments they want to wear rather than what they see in bridal magazines.”
This movement intrigued her. She wanted to reach these brides, but how?
“I felt like the new type of bride is someone who is conscious of the life span of her clothes, including her bridal wardrobe,” she says, adding that Vestido is an ideal venue to introduce a sustainable and economical way of building your wedding wardrobe. When Jimenez set the collaboration in motion with a message to Vestido in May 2023, Vestido had a conundrum that perfectly matched hers.
“This past year, we’ve been getting approached by brides more and more looking for options to wear to their wedding,” shares Vestido co-founder Maica Tady.
Vestido’s closet had been primarily composed of occasion wear for wedding guests and fashion pieces for events or for stylists to loan for their celebrities and personalities. But servicing bridal clients is a challenge they hadn’t prepared for, requiring multiple, diverse looks for their events, from pamanhikan to despedida de solteras, bridal showers, receptions, and after party looks. Meeting up at the Vestido showroom, perusing what they have so far and what they can create, Jimenez and Vestido had their work cut out for them as these brides didn’t only want something special; they also expected something unique.
“When I started thinking of this collection I really had the modern bride in mind. She’s riskier, more relaxed, and very personal,” Jimenez recalls. “It was very inspiring to feel this energy, and I used that as fuel for this collection.”
The Sassa Jimenez x Vestido capsule is a nine-piece, one-of-one zero-waste bridal collection only available for rent. Jimenez’s signature fabric, tulle, features prominently throughout the collection with chantilly lace, beaded mesh, and crinkled silk, all from scraps and archived rolls of her studio’s bespoke bridal gowns and veils. While dreamy and lavish, they aren’t too delicate. The bride can frolic freely without feeling burdened by their rental. For Vestido, they have to be able to withstand multiple dry-cleaning cycles.
Developed over the course of a year and edited carefully over four months until Jimenez’s presentation in Vestido in June 2024, designing pieces with intention is a crucial aspect of what makes fashion circular. Sustainability has always been an aspiration for Jimenez’s atelier, and she has become known for creating fantastical retaso one-offs like hats and going-out tops from the even more decadent gowns and separates these fabrics are cut from. Upcycling for bridal had her “thinking of new ways to showcase them.”
“Once we saw the wonderful-whimsical-with-a-touch-of-avante-garde-themed collection, we thought of shooting and styling it with a romantic yet off-kilter personality that’s very Sassa J Bride and the Vestido Bride,” Tady says.
The collection’s styling permutations are plentiful. The pieces are adjustable with details like corsetry, and there are also separates that can be mixed and matched. With these requirements, Jimenez notes, “This approach lets me create a more diverse collection that flatters all body types.”
It’s a look into the possibilities of sustainable fashion. For brides, this collection is also a suggestion to relax. “There’s hardly any boning or anything overtly structured because I wanted to do away with constricting pieces,” Jimenez points out, letting her meticulous construction do all the heavy lifting so brides can look and feel effortlessly beautiful.
A halter dress made entirely of cotton pajama fabric exemplifies this. “The fabric just feels so light and comfortable,” she describes, and you wouldn’t have guessed it from its elaborate pleating. “That’s how every bride should feel.”
By MARBBIE TAGABUCBA. Photographs by RENZO NAVARRO. Fashion Director: PAM QUIÑONES. Makeup: Apple Faraon. Hair: Ron Vegaros. Photographer’s Assistant: Alexis Wang, Yel Dela Paz. Stylist’s Assistants: Agnes Lacson, Andy Avila, Bea Felice, Julianne Tee, Krystal Kane, Rosh Muñez, Trisha Hascoet.
