Zarkan of London

Today’s bride-to-be has thousands of options when it comes to choosing an outfit for the happiest day of her life. Some brides want a traditional look, others picture a fusion creation that bridges the gap between east and west. From traditional stitch work to embellishments on fabrics such as silk, cotton or linen, anything and everything is possible.

A bespoke bridal creation is something Zarkan of London is highly experienced in creating. The luxury fashion brand has two boutiques in the East London East Shopping Centre, the first mall in Europe specialising solely in Asian bridalwear. We spoke to Zarkan of London’s owners Fathema Begum and Nela Gofur about what the label and offers the brides of 2016.

What do your bridal collections offer?
When you come into our boutiques you’ll see we have hundreds of ornate occasionwear choices that are just perfect for your Big Day - from lehengas, bejewelled gowns, stunningly decorated jackets and exquisite bridal saris. All pieces are made-to-measure for our brides.

What are your bestsellers?
Lehengas are popular and gowns with jackets are also a huge hit as it allows today’s brides to balance between tradition and modern. We also see fusion on skirts and dupattas with many having a heavy trail, in a similar style to western wedding dresses.

Do you stock party clothes?
We sure do. Many brides opt to have bridesmaids and want them to be dressed similarly, so we have occasionwear saris - also lovely for evening events and cocktails - which we adapt for different body shapes.

Do you design yourselves?
We design some collections in-house taking inspiration from Indian and Pakistani designers. English bridal designers also inspire us with their use of lace and vintage finishings. We find that fusion styles are most popular with our customers.

Bridal trends
Each season we stock the most glamorous, sophisticated collections to provide our customers with the latest bridal, party and everyday wear.
Over the next 12 months, we’ll see more threadwork and ombre colour palettes are set to be hugely popular. We’re incorporating more corsetry and boning in our bridal collections to give the outfits additional structure.
Sari blouses will nod to elegant evening wear with more off-the-shoulder styles available. As well as reinvented styles we have timeless pieces to suit every special occasion. We have an eye for detail and use specialist fabrics to create the perfect attire to say ‘I do’ in!

Handpicked
Zarkan of London handpicks stock from India altering the designs for the British Asian market. Everything we select for Zarkan of London customers is carefully considered – it’s just one of the many ways we show our attention to detail. On a more personal note, we’re the same age and live the same lifestyles as many of our customers, which gives us a unique insight and understanding of their world. It puts us in a better place to understand what they would want from their bridal outfits.

Bespoke Bridal
After having a consultation with the bride, we’ll select the best pieces for her to try. We want happy brides who are comfortable in their outfits and we try to meet their expectations where possible. We can suggest colours and embroideries if the bride is undecided about her outfit. Our range of lehengas, saris, and gowns is put together by skilled craftsmen in India who take up to 10 weeks to make a bespoke bridal outfit. The quickest we’ve turned around an order is six weeks.   We put our heart and soul into every piece. There’s nothing more damaging than handing over poor quality work to a bride days before her wedding.

Zarkan of London
www.facebook.com/zarkanoflondon