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SMAGAZINEOFFICIAL.COM BRIDAL
Modern Threads
In a world of tulle and lace, Danielle Frankel
Studio’s gowns are a breath of fresh air.
By Carly Ostroff
D anielle Frankel Hirsch isn’t here for the pomp and circumstance.
A stark contrast to most in her industry, she’s created a directional
bridal label for women to feel like the best version of themselves on their
big day. And while her custom designs have been famously chosen by
“it” brides such as Zoë Kravitz, it’s not the sort of moment that drives
Hirsch forward. “When you see anyone so notable wearing your designs
it’s such a great feeling, but at the end of the day what we really want to
see is real women in our gowns,” says Hirsch. “It’s obviously great to have
the celebrity moment, but I think that you feel fulfilled when it’s a real
woman choosing to wear your gown.” And so, that’s exactly who Hirsch
designs for.
These days, there are many real women choosing to wear Hirsch’s
expertly crafted gowns. Perhaps they’re not the kind of traditional
wedding dresses that many brides dreamed of wearing growing up, but
as they’ve matured, Hirsch’s designs have become exactly the type of
modern yet romantic dresses that they’re looking for. Hirsch and her
team, who offer gowns up to size 24 through her collections and custom
design services, know their bride inside and out. “It’s someone who is
confident and motivated to wear something that’s exceptionally made,”
says Hirsch. It’s important to this woman that it’s made in New York.
“She is somebody who cares about fabrication and at the same time she
also wants something that is forever. It’s the balance of all those things
that create a moment for our client.”
After starting her label at age 27, Hirsch became the first bridal
designer to be recognized by the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund when she
took home the second-place prize in 2019. And since the beginning,
she’s designed with longevity in mind. “I personally don’t think of trends
whatsoever,” she says. “I think it’s a dangerous place to go for wedding
gowns.” Instead, Hirsch seeks to create striking but classic gowns that
stand the test of time. “We like to think about our garments and how
they can live on forever, but feel very current,” explains Hirsch. “What
is going to last here, and why does it feel like the bride today, with this
gown in particular? That’s always the question we’re asking ourselves as
a brand.”
One way Hirsch achieves this nearly impossible feat is through
fabrication. “We’re choosing to work with fabrics like jersey this season,
which is very unconventional for a wedding dress, but it feels very new
and something that won’t fall out over the next 20, 30, 40 years,” says
Hirsch. “We feel this is still a fabrication that you can pass down to your
granddaughter one day,” she adds. Hirsch’s signature fabric is a silk
wool, also not typically seen in bridal either. “We have these elements
within our fabrics that make them highly unique,” she says. “This
season, we’re using a fabric that has metal woven into it, which creates
these purposeful creases that are really truly stunning, almost like the
mistake is built in,” she says. “I think that’s truly beautiful. We like to
find these quirks in the fabrics that really work for us.”
In Hirsch’s latest collection, there’s a marked evolution. “With every
season, we try to challenge what our craftsmanship is, and it gets even
better. We hone in on what we’re good at,” she notes. “I think that in
this collection, it goes back to this maturity thing, we’ve really grown,”
she says. “That’s because we have an amazing team of people who have
been ingrained in the bridal industry for years but are then looking at it
from a new point of view. I think that’s the brand ethos,” she adds. “It’s
really what makes us tick.” In a way, it’s a perfect union.