Brides beware: cheap online replica dresses prompt consumer backlash | UKbride

Brides want to feel like princesses on their big day, and central to that is a beautiful wedding dress.

In recent years though, the bridal industry has faced unfair competition from overseas manufacturers, many of whom infringe the copyright of established designers’ products.

Some brides have been tempted by the low prices of overseas companies which produce low-cost, low-quality dresses.

But wedding planning website UKbride.co.uk reports an increasing backlash fuelled by myriad horror stories, which it says is galvanising the bridal wear industry into fighting back.

Brides Beware is one such initiative - launched by the British Bridal Suppliers’ Association - which is taking sub-standard wedding dresses to this season’s wedding shows in order to prove the shoddy quality of low-cost replica dresses.

“Brides have taken to social media and websites like UKbride – which has 697,000 members and 152,000 Facebook fans - to complain about the cheap replica dresses they purchase for a fraction of the price that a High Street retailer would charge,” says the site’s Tilly Wilkinson.

“The average cost of a wedding dress is between £900 and £1,200. With around 301,000 weddings taking place in the UK each year that makes the wedding dress market a lucrative one for companies with lower overheads in terms of materials and manufacturing.

“It’s a perfect storm, as the idea of a cheaper wedding dress is equally appealing to brides who want to shave hundreds of pounds off their already stretched wedding budgets.

“Sadly the reality, when a bride’s dress arrives from overseas, is very different. Problems include poor quality stitching, premium materials like tulle, chiffon and organza being substituted for fabrics like polyester, plus ill-fitting dresses and products which bear a poor resemblance to pictures online.

“What has outraged the industry more is the use of images featuring mainstream manufacturers’ designs being used by companies promising to replicate those dresses – with obvious copyright implications – or websites which offer a reverse image search.

“The latter allows the user to upload or select pictures of a premium quality dress with the promise of returning a search result for a similar dress by an overseas manufacturer of replica gowns.

“A further danger to brides is the inflated postal prices which can be up to four times the cost of the dress. We’ve heard of one bride being charged £50 for a dress from China, with an additional cost for shipping of £190. In the event of a bride being unhappy with the dress, the smaller sum is refunded with profit still to be made in the postage costs.

The US already has a body - headed up by manufacturer Mon Cheri - which aims to take down rogue websites, whilst the BBSA’s Brides Beware show is exhibiting at The National Wedding Show in London, Birmingham and Manchester during September and October.

April saw designer Benjamin Roberts cease training. This was followed in July by Alfred Angelo.

But despite the loss of two big names in the industry, and increased competition from high street multiples, Editor in Chief of the industry’s Bridal Buyer magazine Susi Rogol reports general optimism among her peers.

“The Harrogate Bridal Show took place two weeks ago and was attended by many thousands of retailers, not just from the UK, but from around the globe.”

“With more than 350 collections from top names in the business showcasing their latest looks, as well as fresh young labels keen to get a foothold in the market, business at the three-day event was active with many companies reporting better-than-ever orders.

“Retailers were buying, and that is the measure of success. They were happy with what was on offer from their trusted suppliers and showing interest in new, young designers who they may well consider when expanding their brand line up in future.”

The danger of cheap imported dresses appears to be filtering down to brides, says Tilly Wilkinson: “End of line samples purchased from reputable bridal wear retailers are a better money-saving approach. It’s also easier to save money on your wedding outfit’s accessories – shoes, tiara, or train – than on the dress itself.

“Buying a wedding dress from an international website is risky. Even purchasing one from a website based in the UK means sacrificing the two or three fittings and alterations that are often necessary to ensure it looks as good as it should.

“A bride wants to look and feel like a princess on her day, and the only way to ensure that is by visiting one of the UK’s 1,300 or so local independent retailers, to take advantage of both their products and their expertise.”