The wedding day is one of the most important days in a couple’s life. From flowers to menu, music, speeches, and ceremony, the day requires meticulous planning. And then, of course, there is the search for the perfect dress – which can take days (for the lucky ones), weeks or even months and in some cases alterations and multiple fittings. No wonder then that the majority of brides-to-be have not taken the plunge into e-commerce to buy their gown.

But that is bound to change. After taking home a runner-up prize at last year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Danielle Hirsch of the bridal wear brand Danielle Frankel knew it was time to truly invest in her brand.

The designer put the money to good use, deciding to focus on expanding its direct-to-consumer businesses and redesigning the website. It turns out her instincts were right, as the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in early 2020 changed the entire fashion industry, at all levels, with many labels scrambling to pivot to a direct-to-consumer model. In this respect, Hirsch was ahead of the curve.

The designer’s DTC business has always been the main source of revenue. “This felt like the right step for us, because our analytics show us we’re a global business with a global reach. Online sales are the best way for us to expand,” said Hirsch.

If you’re wondering if there’s still a market for the high-priced bridal garments, the answer is a resounding yes! “We were very excited to see that people are still shopping for wedding dresses!” she happily exclaimed.

Of course, Hirsch wasn’t completely immune to the crisis. The designer had to get creative with the relaunch. The e-commerce images were shot while socially-distancing, and Hirsch provided styling notes via FaceTime as photographer Terrence Connors and model Zippy Seven shot the collection from their home.

There are currently 15 styles up for purchase; the full collection is not immediately available due to production delays caused by the virus. The designer is shipping the looks out of her family home in Los Angeles, where she is in quarantine with her family – including her newborn baby.

The “new bestsellers” collections are shipping worldwide, with pre-order options available for garments with later shipmates as factories open up in the near future.

To this day, the billion-dollar industry largely remains afraid to lean in to the online experience. Frankel is one of the daring pioneers.

“It’s possible some labels haven’t moved in this direction yet due to customer behavior within their own brands and those labels having a more global brick and mortar presence and wholesale reach. We know this woman who is our customer, who she is and how she is shopping and that helped us understand that to have a global reach, we needed everyone to have access to us,” she said.

Shop the collection here.