It was 2008, and Brooklyn-based designer Rebecca Schoneveld was flying high. She was 24, and her debut line of eco-friendly maternity wear was a bona fide hit, occupying the shelves of over 100 retailers, including major players like Nordstrom and Saks. Everything was going according to plan—until the economy crashed, shuttering shops and factories and forcing her out of business. “I was totally devastated,” she recalls. After a year of soul-searching, a startup project that didn’t quite get off the ground, an apartment fire that left her temporarily homeless, and—to top it all off—a surprise pregnancy, Rebecca found herself back at square one. “Nothing was working,” she says. “I realized I needed to take a deep breath and go back to the basics.” Which, for Rebecca, meant only one thing: dresses.
Discover and shop the Rebecca Schoneveld collection
“I’ve always loved dresses,” says Rebecca—a not-entirely-surprising statement, coming from the woman who spent her high school days deconstructing vintage bridesmaid gowns and giving them new life as updated separates. “I love making people feel pretty. It seems superficial, but making a woman feel pretty is pretty damn awesome.” Inspired by some old maternity favorites, Rebecca began sewing cocktail frocks, snapping photos by her bedroom window and listing the dresses on Etsy. She made her first sale just six hours after opening her shop, and when customers began requesting “long, white” versions of her dresses, Rebecca realized she’d stumbled onto an unexpected new market—brides.
Within a few months, Rebecca was staffing her first bridal photo shoot in a nearby park, with her two-month-old son strapped to her chest. “My sister photographed it, a friend of mine helped style it, and our model was a friend of a friend we found at the last minute,” she says. “But the photos turned out beautifully, and as soon as I posted them on Etsy, I started seeing a huge increase in my traffic.” Seven years later, she’s still waiting for things to slow down.
Read on to learn more about her feminist-minded design philosophy and her refreshing approach to plus-size bridal—then explore the Rebecca Schoneveld collection.
How has the business grown since you first set up shop in your apartment?
Pretty quickly it got to a point where I was busy every weekend meeting brides, and it was just really clear that there was so much room for growth. So in 2013, I got a little storefront and renovated it from top to bottom. As soon as I made that leap, I found out I was pregnant with my second son, so it was like: Okay, we’re having babies and starting a business!
Soon after that I started getting wholesale inquiries, and by September of 2015 we’d moved into a new space, which is where Schone Bride, our flagship boutique, is now located. That was another big leap of growth. We carry my whole collection, and we also carry other independent designers, a lot of whom started on Etsy. There are four dressing rooms, and the back half of the space is where we actually make everything, which has always been my dream. I want everyone to see the process of how a dress is made and really connect to the makers—to see the quality of the fabrics and watch the workmanship come to life.
I love that you’re pulling back that curtain. Tell me about the team you’ve assembled—who’s doing the making?
My mom was actually the first tailor that I hired. My son was born in March, and in early July I got a call from a bride whose wedding was a week away. Her dress had never had come through, and she needed something last minute. There was absolutely no possible way that I could make it by myself with a newborn, so I called my mom and she came into town and stayed with me for a week. The two of us were hand-sewing like the wind, and literally chased the FedEx truck down to get it to the girl in time. She met it at the airport and, amazingly, it fit her perfectly. She wore it the next day to her wedding.
It was totally insane, and that was the first time I realized: I can’t do this on my own. I really need help—I’m only one person and this thing is growing. So my mom was my first hire, and then in November of that same year I hired Eladia. She was my first seamstress, and she’s actually still with me, although she’s retiring this month. Eladia brought in one of her friends, Mercedes, who’s also one of my full-time seamstresses. And my production manager, Maria, has been with me since my first storefront—she’s such an integral part of this company. Bit by bit, we’ve grown this hodgepodge-y family from all over the world.
I really want to create a healthy, positive, supportive, and understanding work environment that gives people space to be creative. It’s a place where people are accepted and their ideas are listened to and respected—I try to create opportunities for collaboration. We’re like family so we don’t always get along, and sometimes there’s an argument about the Spotify playlist, but there’s also a sense of loyalty.

Photo by Anneke Schoneveld

Photo by Anneke Schoneveld
How has your line evolved over time?
I’ve tried to grow everything organically, and not put all my ideas out there at once. But from the very beginning, I’ve always had the mix-and-match idea: Every gown is made of components that can be combined into custom versions. So even if you buy a very clean, simple gown, we have all these different toppers you can put over it. I’ve always offered everything in any size, but for a long time, I couldn’t afford to make all of the samples. I could really only afford to make my photo set of samples, which are generally a size 6, and then I would also make a trade show set of samples to travel around the country to different boutiques, and those are a size 10.
How has your approach to sizing changed over the years?
Finally, I was able to do‚ for all intents and purposes, a plus-size collection. But the way I approached it is not to call it “plus-size,” because I think it’s an annoying term—I’m just really letting it be known that we accommodate all women. Everything in the regular collection can be made in any size, and we also took the dresses that work best for women with more curves, fit them on larger-sized models, and revamped the patterns for that size range, so they fit as ideally as possible.
Amazing. What prompted you to take this on?
I have a lot of friends who are curvy women, and they almost don’t even want to have a wedding because they want to avoid everyone looking at them. They worry about what they’re going to wear, and they don’t want to go shopping for a dress because of the moment of shame that they’re expecting when nothing fits. I really wanted to do my small part to heal that as much as I can, and help all women feel seen.
I want to make sure that these women especially, who are so often overlooked in our culture, and made to feel less than they are, are acknowledged and made to feel beautiful. That’s what we’re here to do—to make people see how beautiful they really are. I’m so excited to do more photo shoots with diverse models and just to try to represent what authentic beauty really looks like. Because it’s not a size—it’s something inside of you, and there’s nothing better than making a woman feel prettier than she’s ever felt before.

Photo by Monica Baddar
Tell me about your new collection, Ready by Rebecca Schoneveld.
It’s a collection of readymade, ready-to-ship bridal that you can buy online, starting this August. The idea is that it’s geared towards women who are just ready to get married, hence the name. They don’t want to go through the whole hoopla of waiting six months for a dress—it’s more of a city hall, backyard, laid-back wedding kind of vibe. You can buy it online, try it on, and if it works, you keep it. If not, you can return it. And everything is priced well under $1,000, so it’s not this super high-pressure purchase. I wanted to do something really accessible.
The collection consists of a lot of separate tops and skirts that are mix-and-matchable into unique ensembles. There are three dresses, seven tops, five bottoms, and then a kimono and a cape. There’s also a long jumpsuit and a short romper, and one of the bottoms is this super-awesome pair of pants. One thing I’m really excited about with this collection is that the pieces are all re-wearable. They’re wardrobe staples that you’ll want to wear again and again, so you get a lot more use and value out of them.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
It always boils down to making sure that the bride herself is the star. I want to make pieces that bring out the best of someone’s natural physical beauty and their personality, and don’t overwhelm them with fashion or boning. It’s sort of humble in a way—I want the look to be subtle and a little bit pared down. It should feel authentic and timeless.
I want to make things that will look good for another 30-plus years. I always tell brides: I want your granddaughters to fight over this dress. I also really want everything to be comfortable. Why do men always get to wear something comfortable and women have to be shoved into things that we can’t breathe or sit down in? It’s sort of a feminist design approach—making women feel empowered by their beauty and still able to eat, and lie down, and not feel gross. You should be allowed to button your dress and feel fine.

Photo by Anneke Schoneveld
What trends are you most excited about right now in the world of bridal fashion?
I love that more people are embracing color! I’ve always loved color, and I personally feel like if a girl is inclined to wear green or blue, she should totally go for it. It’s so memorable, and there’s really no rule about the white thing.
I also think that everything’s been really, really sexy for a long time, and I’m excited to see how things are becoming more modest. Take Miranda Kerr, who recently got married: She wore this amazing Dior dress with a high neckline and full sleeves. It was really beautiful, and so refreshing to see. Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing wrong with feeling sexy. By all means, if you want to be ultra-sexy at your wedding, and that’s who you are, go for it. But personally I like that there’s a movement back towards a little bit more modesty.
I also definitely see people going for more low-key weddings, which is one reason behind the new ready-to-ship collection. I think more people are trying to keep the focus of the wedding on the marriage, and not on all the pomp and circumstance. I like that there’s a movement back to really simple, relationship-focused weddings.
All told, what’s your favorite part of your job?
I love that I get to be creative, and I love that I get to bring creativity into other people’s lives, too—because our collection is so customizable and you can style it so personally. I love when a bride comes up with a new combination that I never thought of that looks super-awesome.
I feel like creativity is a spiritual gift. There are a lot of ways to experience spirituality, but I think that when you’re inspired to do something, that’s an expression of something greater in the universe. It’s your way of being something a little bit more than just human for a moment. To be able to dream up beautiful things, and add beauty to the world, and then to help other people experience that, too—it’s pretty amazing. There’s nothing quite like it.
Follow Rebecca Schoneveld on Instagram and Facebook.
Photographs by Diane Hu, unless otherwise noted.
59 comments
littlechook from littlechook said 3 years ago
Beautiful dresses and such an amazing designer. Really wish you had been around when I got married!!!
Vadim Moroz from VadimMorozArt said 3 years ago
Beautiful designs! Congratulations on the feature! All the Best!
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 3 years ago
Beautiful shop! Congratulations on the feature!
Francine from HomespunHeartofMine said 3 years ago
LOVE your timeless designs! Mix and match bottoms give brides endless options for a unique dress that is still affordable. Great idea!!! Congratulations on the feature and many blessings for your continued success! :)
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 3 years ago
Gorgeous bridal collection! Congratulations on the feature!
Monika Moroz from NickoArts said 3 years ago
Such inspirational story, thank you for sharing. Congratulations on the feature of your lovely shop. I wish you much success :)
Cathy from msbijouxbeads said 3 years ago
Gorgeous gowns, congratulations on your success!
Ksenia Vasiukhnova from BlackCatinKnitHat said 3 years ago
Such beautiful dresses, very beautiful women and inspiring history!
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 3 years ago
I love that mix-and-match idea. Congratulations on the feature!
renee and gerardo from GTDesigns said 3 years ago
Gorgeous line and what an artistry....very special creations!! Love the work space too!!! Congrats on this delightful feature!!!
Jennifer and Gary Pierce from LoftAtticEarth said 3 years ago
Your creations are beautiful! I love that you cater to all sizes since every woman is uniquely and wonderfully made! Best wishes as your business grows.
ClassicMemories from ClassicMemories said 3 years ago
Very nice shop. Congrats on the feature.
Renee from RandMhandmade said 3 years ago
Beautiful shop!! Congratulations!!
Nuria Muñoz from NURIMUSHOP said 3 years ago
I love your sentence,"I always tell brides: I want your granddaughters to fight over this dress". I fight over these dresses, are amazing. Congrats!!
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 3 years ago
Your dresses are so amazing ! ! ! Good job and congrats on the feature !
Margo from RetoDecor said 3 years ago
beautiful shop and lovely dresses :) Great post on my 12 wedding anniversary ))) Thinking of new dress right now )
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 3 years ago
Beautiful designs! Congrats!
Rebeca from SecretDiamonds said 3 years ago
Beautiful!!
Sujata from TreasuredMemoryLane said 3 years ago
Awesome timeless designs! Congratulations on the feature!
Elena Gorshkova from KoshmaDECOR said 3 years ago
Very inspiring history! I wish Rebecca much success!
Jennifer Tyson from LadyInPurpleBoutique said 3 years ago
Such an inspiring story! You have gone through so much, yet you managed to create such a breathtaking shop! Congrats on the feature Rebecca and I wish you and your shop much prosperity. P.S. I would have totally worn the St. Lucia pant to my wedding 14 years ago! :)
Cat Encio Dolls from CatEncioDolls said 3 years ago
Lovely Very inspiring, Congratulations on the feature Cat
farragio from farragio said 3 years ago
This was a wonderful feature to read. I, too, like the more modest look for wedding dresses, and you have done an excellent job of making modest look absolutely stunning.
brooke wandall from BrookeWandall said 3 years ago
exceptionally beautiful dresses! Love love love
Gillian Northcott from esanivintage said 3 years ago
Sensational. What a talent. Beautiful work. How nice to have a job that helps make people happy. Very happy.
Dorina van den Brandeler from DoriKri said 3 years ago
Your designs are super inspiring! Gorgeous! I love your dresses and your story! Thank you! I shall have to start making bride and bridesmaids jewelry soon! Thank you for such a great inspiration!! Wishing you all the best, Ciao! Dorikri
Flair Nouri from FlairPaintings said 3 years ago
Beautiful designs. Thank you for sharing :)
Doris Sherley from GiftsbyDorisSherley said 3 years ago
Rebecca, Your story is inspiring, and the dresses are just amazing. They say "Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness".You are looking very happy. The best for you.
Julie Meyer from JulieMeyer said 3 years ago
oh my gosh that shop. that studio. those fabrics. heaven!
Rosemary Lambert from cardhugs said 3 years ago
Yes! Great fashion ideas and a well organized product. I love to see successes like this. Congratulations!
ROandKO from ROandKO said 3 years ago
Soooo beautiful. Your dresses are gorgeous and I love that you make everyone beautiful! Loved reading about your shop.
Sandra Ankleknits from Ankleknits said 3 years ago
Beautiful shop! Great story of your life.
PS1002 from HealthyHemisphere said 3 years ago
Love the diversity and the fabrics are beautiful! Beautiful dresses!
Natalia from PrettyNatali said 3 years ago
Very beautiful dresses !!! Congratulations on the feature!
Banzell from LoveOutreachJewelry said 3 years ago
I love your aesthetic, simple but beautifully elegant! Congratulations on your feature. Wishing you continued success and happiness!
Jelena from ShimaFiberArt said 3 years ago
Beautiful bridal collection! Congratulations on the feature!
Tim and Brigita Cornwell from jacobswoodentoys said 3 years ago
Beautiful dresses! Congrats on the feature.
Carolina from Agirlwithfeathers said 3 years ago
Amazing shop! Congrats on the feature!:)
Veronika Иващенко from HandMadeVeronika said 3 years ago
Very cute and feminine dress! Good luck to you and your store.
cindy Q. from mrsakarn said 3 years ago
What an amazing story, thank you for sharing! Where were you in 1994!!!! I needed you then. For sure, I would have loved to have worn one of your gowns. Congrats and continued success,your dresses are beautiful!!!! And you make them in an array of sizes, really awesmome. Everyone isnt a size 0 , lol on their wedding day! CQ
Ekaterina Podrazghanskaia from RayRoza said 3 years ago
Great Job!!!!
Vera Ayrapetyan from AngelinasFlowers said 3 years ago
Beautiful dresses! Congrats!
Laila Strazdina from LailaStrazdina said 3 years ago
Your work is beautiful! Congratulations on the feature!
Valentina from KnittedJoyShop said 3 years ago
Very interesting story of creativity. Dresses are excellent, very beautiful. I'm fond of sewing dresses for my little daughters.
Larisa Pilyay from KnitWorlds said 3 years ago
Beautiful shop. Congratulations!!!
viena bone from bonesreusablebags said 3 years ago
Wow, you have so many beautiful dresses! I wish your shop could do this time-warp to 2007 when I got married : ) And your story was very exciting. Awesome read.
Elena from BetulaPainting said 3 years ago
Congratulation on the feature! Such inspirational story
Dara Barth from Bumbleweedz said 3 years ago
Beautiful, gorgeous and elegant!
One Stop Steampunk Shoppe from OneStopSteamShoppe said 3 years ago
Gorgeous designs! Congrats on your feature! : )
Pardar Chia from NaturaSilver said 3 years ago
Congrats on being featured! Love your wedding collection and beautiful dresses for all sizes. Wish you and your team much success.
Lena's Wicker Furniture from WickerHandmade said 3 years ago
Big success, Rebecca! I really liked that the girls on the pictures are stout. The pictures "says": stout women can be charming and beautiful! Also I respect that Rebecca use eco-friendly materials of their craft.
Kathy from EmbroideryandGifts said 3 years ago
Beautiful dresses! Congrats on your success.
PS1002 from HealthyHemisphere said 3 years ago
Congrats! Love your shop, your beautiful pieces and your thoughts on creativity and the importance of healthy environment. So wonderful!
Zalooza from Zalooza said 3 years ago
Awe inspiring and beautiful dresses! Best wishes and congratulations on your feature!
Olesya Bagriy from BelkaUA said 3 years ago
Amazing work! Congratulations on the feature!
Rebecca from afternoonowldesigns said 3 years ago
Too funny, Rebecca, Molly and I grew up in the same little NC town! Congratulations on the feature! Beautiful collection!
Joanna Schultz from MawandPawsArkInc said 3 years ago
i wish you were around when i got married, your dresses are so nice and simple, but i got married 17 years ago, then my husband died in 2012. i love your dresses
Lucille from Lucillesheart said 3 years ago
Beautiful feature, I love the story and growth in the creative area. The collection is full of detail yet natural looking. All good wishes!
emaxtees from EmaxTees said 3 years ago
Congrats on the feature, more people need to know your products!