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WHEN she was dress shopping for her wedding in 2010, Megan Ziems (pictured left) was disappointed to discover a market flooded with conventional designs which didn't fit her personality.
The Gold Coast local struggled to find the perfect dress; a lot of lace, a little left-of-centre and most importantly a design that hadn't been done to death.
After she tied the knot, Ziems decided to try her own hand at designing bridalwear in 2011, so that she could help other women have more success in finding the dress of their dreams.
Having previously spent 10 years working in a French lace production team, Ziems designed her first bridal collection entirely using the unique material.
She called her budding business Grace Loves Lace, and when it first launched online the response was overwhelming.
"It grew very quickly and organically straight away, we didn't even have a marketing team or an advertising plan for the first couple of years," says Ziems.
"It was by word of mouth, and the fact that we were the first ones doing something very different which catapulted us worldwide straight away."
Immediately following her early success, Ziems got to work on a branding plan for Grace Loves Lace.
Her goal was to fill a luxury gap in the bridal market without driving the price too high.
"Our main point of difference is that we use luxurious and genuine laces, a lot of French laces and various other types from Europe, and we have a strong passion for quality," says Ziems.
"Everything is made in Australia with an in-house team, and we don't take our finger off the pulse any step of the way.
"The price point was crucial. With the knowledge I had, I saw that the inflation of wedding dresses was ridiculous. We aimed for an ethical price point."
In return, brides worldwide continue to respond very well to the affordable offering.
Within only six years Ziems has launched two new international showrooms to accompany her headquarters in Burleigh Heads; the first in California and the second in London.
In the year ahead, Ziems is looking forward to launching another new and personally special Grace Loves Lace collection in May.
"I'm particularly excited for the new range because it is by far my favourite collection we have done. There's even going to be a 'Megan' dress in that collection," she says.
Business News Australia
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