"It’s so exciting when you truly believe that the possibilities are endless – and why shouldn’t they be?"
My name is Gaby Bayona. I’m the owner, designer, and seamstress behind Truvelle, a bridal company specializing in refined and effortless made-to-order wedding gowns. While traveling Europe a couple of summers ago, I put my designs on Etsy; since then, my business has grown from a one-woman show to a team of five operating within two studios. Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, I now call the Gastown area of the city home.
I grew up in the wedding industry, but I didn’t design my first dress until 2010. My mum had a boutique in Western Canada that specialized in custom wedding dresses, and what started as tweaks to her designs became gowns that I could call my own. Things escalated from there, and by 18 I found myself co-running the business. Though I loved making custom gowns for local clients, I knew I wanted to tackle a bigger audience. After putting my designs on Etsy in the spring of 2013, I got a personal loan and officially launched Truvelle the following October.
I credit the Etsy community with the rapid pace at which my business has grown. Within a few weeks of opening my shop, Truvelle was being featured in treasuries and on blogs and I was getting inquiries from prospective clients. My very first retailer, The Handmade Bride, reached out to me through Etsy, and since then my retailers have grown to span three continents. Etsy has given me and other independent designers a worldwide platform where products – and the stories behind them – are celebrated.
I love being busy, so I'm currently working on a few projects: designing Truvelle’s next collection, laying out plans for a lookbook shoot in March, collaborating on a short film featuring Truvelle gowns, and game-planning the next couple of years. I’d love to expand Truvelle beyond wedding gowns by working with makers worldwide. I aim to have retailers in Europe, Asia, and South America, and I want to eventually open a Truvelle storefront. I’m also toying with the idea of opening up my own version of a bridal shop.
"Truvelle” is a play off of the French word trouvaille, which means “something lovely discovered by chance.” Who knows what can happen if you open yourself to chance? It’s so exciting when you truly believe that the possibilities are endless – and why shouldn’t they be? Follow Truvelle on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr. Maker and process photographs by Nadia Hung Photography; studio photo by Kirill Bordon Photography; photos of dresses on models by Blush Wedding Photography.