We sat down with the remarkable Evgenia Shimanov from Studio Levana, an Israel-based bridal boutique that isn't just sizing up gowns but designing specifically for the plus-size bride. Our curvy brides are going to love her designs and inspiration! They've been making waves in the bridal industry for 14 years with their unique approach to creating stunning plus size wedding gowns. Evgenia gives us a peek behind the curtain, revealing her intricate design process and discusses Studio Lovanna’s unique corsets that are the secret ingredient in each of their dresses. Not only do these corsets offer support, but they are also meticulously crafted to flatter the curves of a plus-size bride.
And if you’ve ever wondered about the difference between the bridal industry in the US and Israel, Eugenia opens up the conversation, sharing how these differences have influenced Studio Levana's approach to designing gowns. She emphasizes the importance of having options for every bride, regardless of size.
Special series season in partnership with Coded Agency
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiolevana/
About Kelly: Kelly knows how incredible a well planned wedding can be. Every moment counts and every decision plays a part. Wedding planning should be fun and as easy to do as possible. Besides planning weddings, Kelly travels the globe as an industry speaker. Kelly is a Martha Stewart Top Wedding Planner & this podcast won Brides magazine and WeddingWire's best podcast.
Hello and welcome to this versus that making wedding decisions with Kelly McWilliams. This podcast is for you if you're making a wedding decision and want to know what to consider before saying I do to all the things that will make your wedding experience a great one. I'm your host, Kelly McWilliams, and I'm so glad to be a part of your wedding planning journey. In each episode, you can count on me and my expert wedding co-hosts to give you everything it takes to make the best decisions for the wedding that you're dreaming of. Welcome back to the coded agency podcast studio in the middle of Melange Blanc, New York City Bridal Market Fashion Week. So exciting, Every single one of these episodes. Like I say, I'm so excited, but I really really am you guys.
Speaker 1:
So this one was so cool. It's Studio Lovanna and I am interviewing Eugenia. I hope I'm saying this right, shemevnav, forgive me. Forgive me, I just I got to meet so many new people and this was this was one of the best ones. I'm sorry. I mean they're all fantastic, but I just love meeting all these people and learning about their brands and their collections and the dresses and how they came to be, and this one is no less exciting. So here is Eugenia from yes, eugenia from Studio Lovanna. Thank you so much for coming in today. Now here's the thing. I'm not even going to try and say your name, so I know your studio, lavagna, but Lavanna studio.
Speaker 1:
Lavanna Okay and you're out of Israel.
Speaker 2:
Yes, we came from Israel, just this week. Yes, oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:
Oh, my heart breaks for everything going on over there, so thank you for still coming to do this. I know that's a part of your heart. I'm sure is there right now. It is October 10th, so everyone knows what's going on in the world, but your Beauty deserves to be shown here today. Is this your first time in New York City?
Speaker 2:
So it's our third time. Third time we haven't. We haven't been showing in New York since COVID.
Speaker 1:
Oh, okay, so it's been a few years.
Speaker 2:
Yes, we, we've been shown in Chicago, oh okay, a couple of times, and then we decided to come here.
Speaker 1:
Alright, so tell everyone what is Well actually. Let's talk about your, your first name in your last name. Can you say it for me?
Speaker 2:
Yes, I'm Afghani Shamanov.
Speaker 1:
Okay, great, I was like, I pronounce it right.
Speaker 2:
I figured I'd leave it to you so, guys, wait, this happened.
Speaker 1:
So I'm walking around Melange de Blanc and I'm here with the. I'm in the coated PR lounge. They do bridal industry PR and they are covering this bridal market and Melange de Blanc is kind of like a pop-up, but they do it here every year, don't they? I think so yeah, and oh, there's Beth, our friend, right there. So I saw her over there and I wanted. I waved at her and she's like, oh, come in she and she goes. So she has the most beautiful plus-size line.
Speaker 1:
I was like oh, you never see this anywhere. So tell us the story of how you came to be.
Speaker 2:
So we are 14 years in bridal. Oh, wow and we are six years in the global market. Mm-hmm, it's all started from. From my rented apartment, we are started to make a new gowns and in Israel it works differently than in the US. In the US usually have a entrepreneur that wants to have a bridal boutique and then starts to work with different designers and Brings different lines into their store. In Israel, you usually have a designer that has his or her own store.
Speaker 2:
Okay and they designed their own gowns. And there is no store like this, like that has different lines.
Speaker 1:
Okay.
Speaker 2:
So brights start coming in, and they came in just in the beginning because they didn't have anything in plus size to try on. It was back, like you know, 2009, and I started doing how size go and then I understood they needed it, and how happy brides are they get to try on the gowns that are in their size, and I understood that I'm good in it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you are good at this. Justice are beautiful, thank you and you're right, it was. It's so needed in this, you know, for brides, because they're not all tiny, you know, and you know everyone deserves that feeling of being able to walk into a shop and have options and you know like your dresses are beautiful I saw them on your model in there, this collection in particular. How many dresses do you have?
Speaker 2:
So this collection particular is nine dresses, with two more in different colors. We have a Two collections each year. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:
And and there's like with small collections of nine, 10 the gowns, so not to be overwhelmed. I think the main points in being a plus size niche designer is to be able to create gowns that are specifically made for a curvy woman yeah, with a curvy body in mind. It's not a sized up gown that was made for for a woman of size eight. We are thinking from the very beginning about the bus support, about the arm coverage, because a lot of rights are insecure about their arms, about different sports. It's bright, so women want, want to cover, be supported or be shown, and it's very different from sizing up the gown from size eight Because they serve those women differently.
Speaker 2:
The first thing that we are thinking about is construction. We have a very, very unique corsets inside that no other branches and it goes not necessarily to the waistline. Sometimes you can order to eat through the hips and it will hold the tummy. It will flatten the, you know, smooth the lock handles. It will do everything for you won't have to search for a specific bra, you won't have to wear spanks. It solves all loves.
Speaker 1:
Yes, this is the hard part with podcasts. You guys, if you can see, my face is like my jaw is dropping and I'm like so excited because I know, like you know, because I've been a teeny, tiny person and I've been like a normal sized person, so what you know, I kind of understand like the difference there, like how you feel when something can be put on you and you know what was made for your body type.
Speaker 1:
Yes, and just to know that you've thought of those things in advance and I loved what you said, that you know there's a difference between going and finding dresses that were made for smaller person's bodies and having them adjusted to be for a larger sized person.
Speaker 2:
There is a need in this industry, but not everyone does it right.
Speaker 1:
Right, oh, okay, and that, and so the dresses that you've built are specifically made so that they can. There's it's not addressing, it's not taking something that was meant for a smaller person and making adjustments. They were made to fit the body shapes that have needs support somewhere else or flatter a larger size body.
Speaker 2:
I think it's okay to admit that different bodies need different gowns. There is such a big wave in the scene received when you see, like same gown, different body shapes, and then it doesn't really work for both. It's similar, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:
You just see that it doesn't. Yeah, absolutely, and that's what I saw when I looked at your model in there. I was just like she looks really beautiful in that gown and in a different way, and I think that's why it's because you built from the beginning for that, you know, for it to fit, you know this kind of person and so all that you've thought through with each piece of your collection.
Speaker 2:
That is correct. Yeah, that is correct Usually. Usually the designer will build the size chart like the sizing for the gown, starting from eight and down, eight and up, and we start with 20 down and 20 up.
Speaker 1:
That's all that you do.
Speaker 2:
That's what we do.
Speaker 1:
That's amazing. I love that. I love that so much. And there's just so few designers and they're really beautiful. I don't feel like there's anything that is lost on those and I feel, like the ones that I saw, that they are there and really enhanced in the right places and, just like you said, they're going to make the person wearing them feel so beautiful because, yeah, exactly, even with like the structure that you were talking about, like the boning and like it pulls here, it holds the busts in and you know all of those things. So I appreciate that you did that, that you brought this to market and then you made this available to women, because it's women, because it really is so needed, and I mean they're just truly beautiful designs outside of the fact that they're very specific women.
Speaker 1:
So thank you for that. Thank you, Okay. So if you could let everyone know where they can find you find your dresses specifically, obviously, are they available to be seen anywhere in the US or Of?
Speaker 2:
course we have a lot of boutiques around the US. Okay great.
Speaker 1:
Oh, and when we were in your booth, Beth Chapman from the white dress by the shore you're doing a trunk show.
Speaker 2:
They are doing a specific plus size event in February, okay, and they are offering all of the curbing brides to come to their store. This event I don't remember the specific dates yeah, you'll have to check that 15.
Speaker 1:
15th of February.
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah, that's awesome, amazing, that's awesome, good timing.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it'll be perfect. Just got engaged, go get the dress and she is a beautiful shop and I'd love that it's. You know, that day is really just for plus size brides, which is awesome. Is that the correct term to use? Plus, I don't even know.
Speaker 2:
It's, uh, I think, curvy, Curvy.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for teaching me that See, we all learn something every day, but needless to say, they're just beautiful dresses. So thank you for coming on the podcast today. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:
Okay, I'm so glad to be able to share my wedding experiences and expertise with you, and that my co-hosts are so giving it theirs. We truly do want you to have the best time at your wedding, and our hope is that this podcast is helping you to make your engagement time while planning your wedding that much easier. May I ask a favorite of you if this is the case, would you just take a moment to leave a review of this podcast on your listening platform? It helps people just like you to find the podcast and to also find out their answers so they can make decisions. I would also absolutely love for you to give this versus that podcast a shout out on your social media. You can find us at this versus that wedding podcast on Instagram, and if you would like me to help you with a specific question, a wedding decision, please by all means ask. Send me a DM. I would love to hear from you and maybe, just maybe even have you as a wedding guest on a future episode. How fun. Here's to another great wedding.