Courtesy: galialahav.com
Described as genuine, authentic, and full of energy, bridal and fashion designer Galia Lahav puts her heart and soul into creating one-of-a-kind designs. For over thirty-five years, Lahav and her team have crafted beautiful, custom-made haute couture gowns for brides and celebrities all over the world. She is considered one of the top leaders in the elite fashion world and doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.
How It All Began
Lahav was born into a family of seamstresses in Pinsk, Belarus. She eventually emigrated with her family to southern Israel in 1957. There, her passion for sewing and design blossomed. She spent many years as an arts and crafts teacher, but at age thirty-two she left the textbooks behind to pursue her passion for fashion design.
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Courtesy: galialahav.com
Getting Into the Bridal Industry
In 1984, Lahav’s fashion company was officially born in Tel Aviv. She started creating custom-made wedding gowns and quickly became a sensation in Israel. Her lavish gowns are well-known for their extravagance, ornate intricacy, and signature illusion backs. Lahav tailors her designs to each bride’s specific measurements to ensure a flawless fit.
After spending more than two decades in the Israeli market, Lahav’s son Idan joined the company as CEO in 2005. Since then, he’s helped expand the company’s operations into the international market. The key to success? Using a data-driven, creative-centric approach while staying up to date on ever-changing technology and social media platforms.
The Empire Today
Courtesy: galialahav.com
Today, Galia Lahav gowns can be found in seventy stores across forty countries. The company has flagship stores in LA, Miami, NYC, TLV, Shangai and Hamburg, and offers free shipping worldwide. Brides can expect to pay between seven and ten-thousand dollars for a couture wedding gown. The design company also offers a made-to-order collection at a lower price range, along with a luxury apparel collection.
Lahav relies on a very special person to help her create these romantic and dramatic designs—her former arts and crafts student Sharon Sever. After leaving his home in Israel, Sever went to Paris to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. He apprenticed with some of the leading Parisian fashion houses like Christian Lacroix and Pierre Balmain, just to name a few. Lahav always admired Sever’s talent and eventually asked him to work for her as her head designer. It was an easy yes for Sever.
For inspiration, Lahav and Sever turn to music, art and cinema while tracking future trends. All designs are hand-made and produced in Lahav’s Tel Aviv studio using high-quality fabrics and intricate sewing techniques. According to Sever, it takes between six months and a year to create one dress, giving the team enough time to craft the perfect wedding dress for each individual bride.
Our Fave Galia Lahav Looks
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Courtesy: galialahav.com
Summer is here, but we’re already looking ahead to spring! Lahav’s Spring/Summer 2022 bridal line titled “Do Not Disturb” focuses on fashion-forward styles with unique and festive touches. The collection encourages brides to explore what fits their individual aesthetic.
True to Lahav’s signature style, these gowns are simply romantic and dramatic. The “Lady G” satin ballgown is super trendy right now and the puff sleeves are detachable! Speaking of statement sleeves, the “Amanda” gown features sheer mouton sleeves with cascading waterfall tulle bows, boasting glam sophistication. Both the “Blair” and “Rania” gowns exude romance with their plunging necklines and fitted trumpet silhouettes.
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Courtesy: galialahav.com
New from Lahav, a luxury ready-to-wear line titled “Lumière”. Perfect for the modern bride, the collection features bridal suits, separates and dresses. The fabrics are light and feminine and can easily be worn for many special occasions surrounding your wedding day.
We love the chic look of the “Stella” tuxedo dress—a cool choice for your low-key ceremony or even your bachelorette party. The pale gold “Elise” gown is sexy and sophisticated with its perfectly draped silk and thigh-high slit. For a modern bridal gown, the “Liana” is a great option full of French lace and a fully boned corset.
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Courtesy: galialahav.com
We couldn’t take our eyes off Lahav’s latest luxury apparel collection: Belle de Jour. The inspiration comes from the 1967 film of the same name about a bored young housewife who sneaks out during the day to live her double life as a fashionable prostitute. The collection, designed with the forward-thinking, independent woman in mind, mixes classic couture fabrics like taffeta and organza with pops of playful prints.
Each design is full of drama and innovation. The “Clementine” maxi dress is kissed to perfection with red lip embellishments and the strapless color-block ball gown “Gabrielle” has a dramatic high side slit. Our personal favorite? The sheer illusion corset dress titled “Corinne” with Swarovski crystal embellishments— it’s totally awesome.
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Courtesy: Instagram via @galialahav, abc.com, popsugar.com
Several celebrities have worn Galia Lahav gowns for their big day, including Queen B herself. For her secret vow renewal ceremony in 2018, Beyoncé wore the breathtaking “Thelma” dress from Lahav’s “Victoria Affinity” couture collection, which retails for twelve-thousand dollars. The off-the-shoulder gown featured a corseted bodice, sheer panels on the skirt and a long fishtail train—the perfect dress to celebrate her and Jay-Z’s tenth anniversary.
Bachelor in Paradise star Jade Roper wore a custom Lahav gown during her televised wedding to husband Tanner Tolbert. She looks stunning in the detailed lace dress and that V-neck bodice is WOW. But Selling Sunset star Christine Black takes the cake with her amazing “Gothic Barbie” bridal look. The chic real estate agent wanted something unique and dramatic and her custom Lahav gown, paired with a twenty-two-ft. veil, is totally glam. Her ball gown boasts shimmering embellishments, black rose embroidery and sexy off-the-shoulder straps.
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Courtesy: brides.com, redcarpet-fashionawards.com, galialahav.com
They may not have been saying “I do”, but these celebs were beaming from ear to ear in these bridal designs. Tennis champ Serena Williams had a custom gown made by Lahav for the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscars party. We love how the sexy lace creation features a deep V-neck and sheer side cutouts. Tiffany Haddish slayed the red carpet before hosting the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards in this silver lame gown. The gown was part of Lahav’s Spring 2019 “Queen of Hearts” Bridal Collection. The high slit and tulle skirt is giving us serious heart eyes.
Leave it to J-Lo to pull off a stunning bridal jumpsuit for NBC’s New Year’s Eve concert. This jumpsuit, a hot trend right now, is the perfect alternative to a wedding dress. We’re digging the sheer details and long skirt, plus the sequins and plunging neckline are giving us sexy-cool ‘70s vibes.
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Courtesy: redcarpet-fashionawards.com, redcarpet-fashionawards.com, galialahav.com
These red-hot celebs were turning heads in these stunning Lahav designs. We’re swooning over Dancing with the Stars judge Julianne Hough in this Hollywood glam gown. The velvet skirt, the bow accents, and that plunging neckline? This look scores three 10’s from us! Allison Williams stunned on the red carpet for the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards. We love this short glittery number with the multi-tonal effect. It’s glitzy but still tastefully simple.
Do you recognize this last gal? It’s Gal Gadot, aka Wonder Woman! The gorgeous actress wore this elegant red gown for a commercial on the Israeli TV network. The unique straps at the neckline are excellent and really draw attention to her beautiful face. Check out the commercial here!