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Yemi adjusting ruching on the bodice of a bride's gown in the atelier.

The Process

How a bespoke wedding dress is made.

Made by hand, for one woman. Haute couture is slow on purpose. A Kosibah gown is drawn, cut, fitted and finished in the atelier, by the same hands, from the first sketch to the last stitch. This is how it happens.

  1. Yemi sketches gowns in a striped armchair while a bride sits on the settee opposite, lace and fabric samples on the table between them, in the atelier salon.

    The conversation

    Your date, your venue, the hour of the ceremony, the traditions your family keeps. Yemi listens, and starts to draw while you talk.

  2. Yemi’s hands drawing a draped, off-the-shoulder gown in pencil on a clipboard, on the green cutting mat.

    The sketch

    A trained fashion illustrator, Yemi draws the gown in front of you in real time and in full detail, so you can envisage the dress you are both going to create.

  3. A beaded and feathered bodice with crystal appliqués on a dress form, above swatches of silk, lace and crystal mesh laid on the sketch.

    Fabric and embellishment

    Silk faille, tulle, French lace, hand-beaded appliqué. Every fabric is chosen against the sketch and against your skin. Some clients bring their own fabric; others shop with Yemi to find the perfect material for the design.

  4. Yemi kneels to pin the waist of a calico toile on a client, a tape measure round his neck.

    The toile fittings

    Before any silk is cut, the gown is made in calico to your measurements. The toile is where the silhouette is decided, pinned and re-pinned on you. Yemi will make as many toiles as needed to get the fit absolutely perfect.

  5. Yemi’s hands sewing a crystal-beaded appliqué onto an ivory satin gown, the appliqué held in place with pins.

    Hand finishing

    Appliqués are placed and sewn by hand along the seam lines. Beading, hems, linings and closures are finished following the centuries-old traditions of haute couture.

  6. Yemi crouches to adjust the skirt of a bride’s gown, a blush off-the-shoulder bodice over a sparkling tulle skirt, beside a tall mirror.

    The final fitting

    By the final fitting, nothing is left to chance. The toiles are meticulously adjusted for any changes in your body along the way, so the gown fits perfectly. Yemi often attends his clients’ weddings to make sure each bride looks her absolute best on her big day.

  7. Yemi’s signed illustration of a smiling bride holding white roses, in a fitted, beaded lace gown, with close-up panels of the bodice and the lace.

    Commemorative fashion illustration

    From photographs of the day, Yemi creates a final illustration of the gown as it was worn, refined with the help of AI. A keepsake of the journey you made together to create the dress of your dreams.

Practical questions

Before you book.

What does a gown cost?

Couture from $5,000. Made to measure from $4,000. Evening wear and mother of the bride or groom from $3,000. The figure for your own gown follows the first consultation, as a quotation.

How long does it take?

Allow six to nine months for a wedding gown, couture or made to measure, and three months for evening wear and mother of the bride or groom. That covers two toile fittings and a final fitting, typically. Sooner is sometimes possible, depending on the atelier's availability: ask.

How many fittings are there?

Typically two fittings in the calico toile and a final fitting in the finished gown. The toile is where the fit is settled, pinned on you before any silk is cut.

I live outside New York. How does it work?

Start over Zoom. The first measurements can be taken remotely: you will need someone to measure you and a stand to hold the camera. Fittings are in person, in New York or in London, and by prior arrangement, outside our ateliers.

What happens after the first consultation?

Yemi sends you your quotation and contract. Once your deposit is received, work begins on the first toile. Payments are staged through the process, with the final balance due before the gown leaves the atelier.

Consultations

Start with the conversation.

A private hour with Yemi in Harlem or over Zoom. Weekends and evenings available.

Book a consultation