MEET THE WHITE WEDDING PLATFORM’S ORGANIZER

Maryna Vasylyeva, the woman who founded the largest wedding dress factory in Europe is ready to welcome the bridal industry as the organizer of the White Wedding Platform this October 4 & 5th to be held in Milan.

Maryna Vasylyeva is a Ukrainian wedding dress designer known for creating exclusive dresses for TV presenters of popular TV shows. In Western Ukraine, she established the largest wedding dress factory in Europe. This factory produces dresses not only for several Ukrainian wedding brands but also for well-known European and international brands from the USA, Israel, and Spain.

This October, Maryna is organizing a special event — White Wedding Platform. The primary goal of this event is to bring together Ukrainian wedding clothing manufacturers and showcase the talent of Ukrainian designers on the global stage. The event is set to take place in Milan, at the heart of the world’s fashion scene. It will feature the unveiling of new wedding dress collections from 24 different brands.

Maryna answered some questions exclusively for Perfect Wedding Magazine, enjoy the conversation below!

1. How long have you been working in the wedding industry? Tell us about your path as a wedding dress designer.

My path in the wedding industry began nearly 15 years ago when I met my first husband and his mother, who was involved in the business of wedding dresses at the time. I found the field intriguing, but I never imagined it would become my life’s passion.

I started in a humble role, working as a wedding dress saleswoman at the local market. However, I soon realized that I wanted to do more than just buy and sell dresses. I yearned to create them myself, driven by my own ideas and my vision of what a truly special dress should be for every woman. That’s when I began crafting my own dress designs.

Life took its course, and after our daughter was born, my husband and I decided to part ways amicably, each pursuing our separate personal and business journeys. It marked the beginning of my unique creative path.

My first wedding brand was named after my daughter, Daria — Daria Karlozi. Subsequently, I embarked on other projects, such as Pollardi, Liretta, and Ida Torez. We experienced rapid growth. I assumed the role of the head designer and devoted myself entirely to this craft. Presently, I am in the process of developing my own brand, YEDYNA. The name encapsulates our philosophy: to create not just dresses, but emotions. Every woman desires to feel exceptional, extraordinary, and one-of-a-kind on her special day, and we design dresses that make that dream a reality. For me, it’s more than just fashion; it’s my ultimate inspiration and passion.

2. Where do you make your dresses? In Europe or Ukraine?

Ten years after I sold my first dress as a market saleswoman, I opened my own wedding dress factory in Western Ukraine. Today, it stands as the largest factory of its kind in Europe. Here, we craft models with unique designs, intricate hand embroidery, and exquisite embellishments for my new brand, Yedyna. Additionally, we manufacture dresses for American, Israeli, and Spanish brands. Our dresses are sold in 80 countries. Our specialty lies not just in crafting dresses but in creating corsets that impeccably accentuate a woman’s figure.

Moreover, I have the privilege of designing exclusive dresses for renowned TV presenters and stars of popular Ukrainian TV shows like “The Voice” and “Dancing with the Stars.” That’s the remarkable journey of a wedding dress designer — from being a market saleswoman to running my own factory (laughs).

3. Can you find the Yedyna brand in Canada?

We are represented in 10 European countries, and in Canada, our dresses can be found in two cities — in Lisa’s Bridal showroom (British Columbia 681 Columbia street) and in Tansy’s Bridal And Formal Wear salon — (Ontario, 555 Dundas street).

4. Why did you choose this industry?

I’m drawn to the enchantment of it all. Designing dresses allows me to channel my energy and potential. When I attend wedding exhibitions and handpick exclusive materials and accessories, I always envision how to capture the individuality of the woman who will wear that dress on her most special day.

After all these years in the industry, I’ve developed a keen sense of what brides desire. I’ve mastered the art of listening and understanding precisely what each bride needs. My experience working with global wedding brands has enabled us to refine our tailoring techniques and material selection to perfection. This isn’t just about my growth as a designer; it’s about my personal growth and development as a business owner. We’re in a constant state of expansion, and these daily challenges are part of my journey as a female manager. It’s fascinating to evolve in this direction as well.

5. You did not limit yourself to creating dresses for brides and decided to unite the wedding community on the White Wedding Platform.

Absolutely, I’ve found an opportunity to go beyond just designing dresses. Currently, we’re in the midst of organizing an event with the aim of bringing together the entire Ukrainian wedding industry community and showcasing the high caliber of our professionals to the world. We’ve named it the “White Wedding Platform.” It’s a two-day event set to take place in Milan in early October.

At this gathering, wedding apparel brands will unveil their new collections to a European audience. The guest list includes reputable publications, stylists, buyers, essentially key figures within the industry. I’m hopeful that this will invigorate Ukrainian businesses in this field. It’s not widely known, but Ukraine is the largest hub in Europe for the production of wedding attire. It’s here that renowned global brands have their pieces crafted.

6. How did the idea for such an initiative appear?

In 2019, we hosted a massive wedding collection show at the Parkovy Exhibition Center in Kyiv. It was truly exhilarating, with hundreds of attendees flying in from around the world. My colleagues and I initially planned to make it an annual event, but then came the pandemic and then the war.

However, this year, after attending a wedding exhibition in Barcelona, I felt the urge to continue our efforts. While our country is facing these challenges, I believe it’s essential not to halt but rather to unite and support one another. Once we’ve overcome these difficulties, we’ll certainly resume showcasing in Ukraine and invite guests from all corners of the globe. In the meantime, we collaborated with other wedding dress manufacturers and brands, and together, we decided to hold this event in Milan. Thus, this idea turned into reality.

We received support from our international partners as well. For instance, the German federal company GIZ GmbH contributed to financing some of the logistical aspects. And together with the famous wedding photographer Diana Vartanova, we are holding a special workshop that will help raise funds for drones for the Ukrainian army.

7. Why did you decide to hold the event in Italy?

Milan is one of the centers of world fashion, new collections of all world brands are born and shown here. We wanted the White Wedding Platform to be a breath of fresh air for the Ukrainian wedding industry. Yes, it is quite a challenge to show a new collection in a city where the world’s most famous designers are inspired, and red carpets have seen legendary collections of top designers. But I am sure that Ukraine should take its place among the best in the wedding sphere as well. Therefore, there were no doubts in the choice of the location. We decided that Milan would be the best city to host our event.

8. Tell us about wedding dress trends? What dresses are most commonly chosen by Ukrainian women?

Let me tell you a story. A couple of days ago, a bride from Kyiv came to me to choose a dress. She chose a model with open shoulders. Drawing attention to the most feminine and elegant part of the body, it leaves room for playing with light and shadow. This design allows brides to create a sexy, yet extremely elegant image that will attract the attention of everyone present. To be honest, I had a lot of fun with this fitting.   

Wedding dresses that emphasize elegance and grace, combining them with sophistication and sensuality, are in trend now. Open backs, necklines, 3D embroidery and playing with transparency — all this adds a modern charm to the image of brides.