Melbourne design team Izaro are making a big splash in the bridal business with lavish, look at me gowns that combine exquisite tailoring with extravagant embellishment.
For passionate Melbourne-based design duo Mel Anton and Hong Pham, bridal couture is a combination of contemporary couture skills and creative reworking of centuries-old ideas. Aficianados of olde-worlde opulence and European-style glamour, Mel and Hong pay homage to glorious past gowns with every new bridal creation.
Their skills and inspiration may come from the past, but the pair is thoroughly modern in approach. Both studied fashion design at Victoria's Box Hill Institute in the late 90s, and felt a mutual creative connection. "We instantly knew, upon meeting, that our styles could gel to create a unique bridal look, as yet unseen in Australia" recalls Mel.
In her final year, Hong received the Victorian Student Excellence award and was a finalist in the prestigious Australian Gown of the Year. On completing their design diplomas, the two joined forces and began an exciting journey into bridal haute couture. Five years on, with word of mouth recommendations accumulating and industry accolades pouring in, Izaro's star is on the ascendancy.
Izaro’s distinctive style is inspired by history and theatre: the current collection combines Parisian elegance with a touch of the Hellenic goddess. "We create pristine, cascading gowns that are arrestingly beautiful", says Mel. We love anything chic, vintage and dripping with grandeur.
Eclectic influences and a sound understanding of design principles help make every creation an outstanding original. Then comes the hard work. The duo's forte is painstaking attention to detail and perfect cut to measure. "Hong's disciplined nature serves as a counterweight to my obsession with wanting to create everything at once", says Mel. "Our philosophy is simply that nothing is impossible: we are only limited if we allow ourselves to be."
Each bride starts with a private complimentary consultation at Izaro's exclusive Hawthorn boutique, during which she discusses her vision with Mel and Hong and gets a feel for the Izaro style by trying on sample gowns. Mel hand-sketches various alternatives, then the bride-to-be chooses fabrics and schedules fittings. As each is a made-to-measure gown, four follow-up sessions are required to attain a perfect fit.
Once the design is finalised, the pair constructs and embellishes each gown by hand, making sure materials match the quality of their work by sourcing the finest laces, tulles and silks. "Each bride leaves our boutique with a true signature Izaro couture piece," Mel asserts."We pride ourselves on that."
Izaro's extravagantly elegant styling appeals to the confident contemporary bride looking for something over and above the traditional meringue, simple sheath or off-the-rack gown. "During the design process, we dream up drop-dead gorgeous frocks that we’d want to wear ourselves," says Mel.
