Jane Atelier Launches Capsule Collection for the Minimalist Bride
LONDON — Jane Lewis has whipped her streamlined ’60s aesthetic into a debut collection for brides who want to keep things smart, simple and affordable.
Jane Atelier’s debut capsule consists of five styles in white and cream that range in price from 460 pounds to 690 pounds. In an interview Lewis, the brand’s founder and creative director, said she plans to expand the collection to include a variety of wedding looks for bridesmaids, the wider wedding party and guests, too.
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“It’s not structured, or corseted — there are no floor-length ballgowns here. This is not about excess,” Lewis said in an interview.
“These styles are meant to resonate with the customer who likes our handwriting. We want to be ticking that box for her,” said Lewis, who built her ready-to-wear brand on chic, streamlined pieces for day and evening. She’s selling Jane Atelier via the brand’s own e-commerce site, and with retailers including Farfetch.
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She decided to launch bridal due partly to the pent-up demand in the market in the wake of the pandemic.
Lewis, who was already doing looks for weddings and special occasions, said she wants to cater to “brides-in-waiting” (people who had to postpone their weddings due to COVID-19) and for couples playing catch-up now that there are no longer restrictions on public gatherings or indoor events in the U.K. and other places.
Lewis, founder and creative director of the label, also wanted to dress people for new wedding formats such as civil partnerships, informal settings, lunches, drinks and other celebrations.
Bridal looks include a jumpsuit; a tailored two-piece skirt suit with a boxy jacket à la Jacqueline Kennedy in her White House years, and a simple ’60s shift dress, shapes that were all drawn from Jane Atelier’s 20-year archive.
Lewis said she wants to offer her customer a timeless look so that when she casts an eye over her wedding photos decades from now “she’ll know that she just looked exquisite, thoughtful and considered on the day — not trapped in a time warp.”
The spirit of the capsule comes from Lewis’ own wedding gown, which was couture Anouska Hempel. She described it as “very, very, very streamlined, A-line and strapless.”
Going forward, Lewis will begin introducing sugar pinks and pale pastels to the collection, as well as seasonal colors.
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The move into bridal comes in the wake of changes at the brand.
Formerly known as Goat, the brand changed its name to Jane Atelier last year after selling the original global trademark to 1661/Goat Group for an undisclosed sum, and after more than a year of legal wrangling.
The label’s ’60s-style, Space Age font, which Lewis had trademarked when she set up Goat in 2001, still belongs to her, and now it spells “Jane.” The first collection under the new name launched for fall 2021.
There are other changes afoot: Lewis has shut Jane Atelier’s London Conduit Street shop, and plans to replace it with a concept store in London, but she didn’t give any details.
She had opened Conduit Street in 2014 as part of The Crown Estate’s 1 billion pounds real estate regeneration project. It spanned 660 square feet, with timber parquet floors and white walls, minimal lighting and vintage furniture handpicked by Lewis.
She said the decision to shut Conduit was her own, and said the brand will always rely on e-commerce as well as physical retail.
“We’ll 100 percent have a bricks-and-mortar presence. I’m still taking stock and want to do something that is relevant to the consumer today. I’m taking my time, and want to devote my full attention to the project,” she said.
In the meantime, she said she’s enjoying the flexibility of being online-only. She said it allows the company to be agile and flexible. “We can do whatever we like,” she said.
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