Q+A with Joelle Perry

Community and culture are two of my favorite things. Usually my love involves travel and new things, 

but I've grown to love some of my American culture and community recently: Instagram. 

I connected with Joelle Perry after receiving a few 'likes' from her on IG. I instantly felt a connection with her unique style and her down-to-earth nature. Her personality shines through her designs and I'm so excited to be featuring her this month! 

Aloha! My name is Joelle Perry and I am from Hawaii.

I am married to the only man I have ever loved and together we enjoy to experience new people, food and places.  In front of me right at this moment I can see my eel skin purse, black tulle and carton of coconut water.  

Oh! And I like to make pretty dresses…

Q: What started your love for design/what caused you to pursue it as a career:

My love for design has always just kind of been there. This desire to create, beautify and innovate.  I always hoped, or actually knew, that I would have a career as a designer of sorts. I started in jewelry and worked my way towards apparel. I created my wedding dress almost 5 years ago and would often show my friends my creation. I had a girlfriend in particular who would tell me I was going to create her dress on her big day, whenever that would be. Sure enough the time came when she got engaged and she asked me to make her dress. She had such faith in me and in my work that I agreed to make it for her. I guess I haven’t stopped making dresses since. 

The reason I made this into a career is because all I saw were the same old traditional wedding dresses and nothing out there that matched my style or aesthetic. When I searched for the perfect wedding dress for my wedding all I found was disappointment. I then decided to take matters into my own hands and make what I had always envisioned, the dress of my dreams. But what about all the other brides out there who were like me? That’s why I started to do something about it.  I wanted to be another option for brides. 

I love pushing boundaries with out compromising taste. My dress was baby pink and all my guests attended my wedding dressed in white.  I tend to lean towards unconventionality, if you couldn’t already tell. Why do things that way they’ve always been? Just for traditions sake? I believe in making up your own traditions that actually mean something to you. I’ve done gold dresses, pantsuits and lots of unconventional styles that usually aren’t acceptable as a “wedding” gown. This is my passion.  This is why I do what I do. 

Q: How has your family and friends influenced you? 

My family early on encouraged me to pursue design. They had to put up with glitter, glue and puffy paint my entire early life. They saw my love for it and were nothing but supportive. My mother specifically has influenced me the most. She is the most resourceful, brilliant businesswoman along with being the most genius interior decorator/stylist I’ve ever met. She has this unique ability to see something she likes, go home, and recreate it better, cheaper and with her unique style. She has taught me invaluable lessons about design, business and life. 

Other extremely important women who have encouraged me in design are: my aunty Janice and my teachers, Ms. Chung, Ms. Tsark and Mrs. Cristi

Q:You work with brides to create gowns that fit their personalities  What is your process to match their needs so beautifully?

Beyond my love for design, I have a deep love for people. I love sitting down with a bride and getting to know her, and her love story, as well as her likes and life experiences. She becomes my friend.  She then tells me her ideas for the dress. Once I get the feel for her and her desires, I design a dress that is perfect for her. I’d like to think that I have a God-given ability to design a gown for someone that is not only something they love but also something that pushes them to a place they maybe couldn’t have imagined for themselves. I feel like this is the key.  I hear out her dreams and then come up with a design that maybe she hadn’t yet thought of. 

Q:How does living on an island influence your work?

Inspiration! I am completely surrounded with creation and am so inspired by it. From the rich dark colors of the rain forests to the dry, desert feeling of the lava rock fields. Above all else it’s the ocean that draws by largest inspiration. Not just in design but in life as well. I have a deep love and appreciation for the water. It’s where I go to think, pray, play and spend most, no pretty much all, of my free time. 

Q: What is a favorite story or design of yours?

Other then my own dress, my Jenny dress is one of my favorite stories/design. I sourced the fabric for this dress from all over the world. It was composed of, at least, 6 different gold embroidered, ivory laces. I spent time matching all the lace so that though it was from all over, it would all match in color and all have the same beautiful gold embroidery. And all did match perfectly. Well, all but one. There was this final piece of lace that I just had to use but it was an ecru color rather then ivory. So, I had to hand stained it darker with coffee grounds in my bathtub. Lo and behold it came out slightly too dark. I then tried bleaching it back to normal to try again but instead of ecru; it came out the most perfect ivory color. Woohoo! The result of all my effort was astounding. The way all the pieces came together was beyond beautiful. It was art. 

Be sure to take a peek at www.joelleperry.com to see more of her stunning designs--

All photo credit goes to Joelle Perry.