West didn’t initially plan to wear a designer wedding gown.
Stefano Santucci
“I was like, ‘I’m wearing my wedding dress for a few hours. I’m just gonna get something that’s relatively inexpensive,'” West said of her initial approach to her wedding dress.
But a conversation with her dad and stepmom after she booked the venue changed her mind.
“They were like, ‘You’ve just signed for this beautiful venue. You can’t wear a $100 dress,'” West told BI.
There was only one brand West wanted to invest in if she was going to get a designer dress: Alonuko. Headed by London-based designer Gbemi Okunlola, the brand specializes in illusion wedding gowns for Black women, using a sheer tulle that matches brides’ skin tones.
“I’m someone who loves customized, meaningful pieces, and I think that’s what Gbemi does really well,” West said.
As Okunlola previously told BI, she created her one-of-a-kind, skin-matching tulle fabric after seeing a lack of diversity in the bridal market.
“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 skin you are, you should feel like the dress is for you.”
