Don’t get comfortable.

This is one of the key lessons Gaby Bayona, Founder of Truvelle, learned during her 5-years spent building up her company and brand.

For entrepreneurs, getting comfortable often means breeding complacency. This is why with every entrepreneur you know, there is always that sense of urgency, and the determination to continue pushing boundaries and thus, setting new boundaries for themselves and the industries they are in.

Truvelle began its journey as Truvelle Flagship, a boutique located in Vancouver. Since then, the brand has expanded to carry several sister brands each with its unique design vibe and focus. The brand has also reinvented the shopping experience for brides, with shoppable items online and the ability to try items on without an appointment. The experience for the bride is at the center of the Truvelle experience, and we had a chance to chat with Gaby about her story.

Read on for our conversation on how it all started, where the business is currently at, and her hopes for the future to come.

G: Gaby Bayona, Founder of Truvelle

P: Pendulum Magazine

P: Tell us about your background. What drew you to a career as a bridal dress designer?

I grew up in the wedding industry, thanks to my mum who was a bridal seamstress. From a young age, I helped her with her bridal alterations & eventually her custom dress shop throughout my preteens into early teens. After high school, plans to go into business school fell through, which led me to take on a larger role in the family business. Design was one of the roles I took on; specifically, designing custom prom dresses. One day, a bride walked in and saw one of my prom designs hanging on the rack and told me it would be perfect for her wedding. That was a defining moment for me—I realized that there were brides out there who wanted something different and unique and that I could be the one to create it.

P: Share with us how you got to where you are today. Were there any special people, events, experiences?

I'm fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of traveling, which has definitely shaped who I am & how I interact with both people and the world.

P: How many people are part of the Truvelle team and what key roles do they play?

We are a small-to-midsize company, with about 30 employees across five departments—office, production, garment tech, fulfillment, and retail. Since COVID-19, our office team has been working exclusively from home, while the rest of the departments remain in-house with new health measures in place to maintain production flow while keeping everyone safe.

The office team is responsible for managing all marketing channels and the wholesale accounts of our 70+ worldwide retailers. The retail team oversees all boutique operations in our Vancouver and Calgary storefronts, including meeting with brides and running consultations. Production and garment technicians oversee the cutting and construction of the dresses, while fulfillment checks through each finished gown with a fine-toothed comb before shipping to the stockist. Each department is critical to our process, and the creation of a dress truly is a team effort.

P: Truvelle’s first flagship opened in 2015, what are some business lessons you have learned in the past 5 years of growing the business?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to get too comfortable! Anticipate and adapt to change. I’ve also learned that it’s impossible for me to do everything and that it’s important to build a team who are capable of running the day-to-day of the business. This frees up time to allow me to think big picture & drive the vision forward.

P: The business has evolved and expanded to a band of bridal boutiques, Lovenote, encompassing accessories, veils, and more. Can you take us through the story and process of how this evolution came about?

When we first opened our Vancouver boutique (which used to be called Truvelle Flagship), we only had one brand — Truvelle. As we expanded into multiple brands & started carrying other designers, it was the natural progression to reimagine the store as less of a flagship boutique and more of a curated wedding dress experience.

When creating Lovenote, we took cues from Truvelle Flagship, the many bridal stores I’ve visited throughout the years, and my favourite clothing stores around the world. We wanted to mix the staples that make wedding dress shopping unique, along with some modern elements you’ll see within the world’s best clothing stores. With Lovenote, you’ll find things that traditional bridal stores don’t have, such as the opportunity to try things on without an appointment, interior photo opportunities, and an e-commerce website that allows our clients to shop the collection prior to visiting the boutique.

Currently, we have stores in Vancouver & Calgary. Yes — there are plans to expand to underserved markets across Canada :)

P: What are some unconventional design elements one might find in Truvelle handmade designs?

Truvelle has created gowns with unique necklines, fresh silhouettes, and top-of-the-line fabrics, all combined with cool design touches like side ties, distinctive straps, and bare backs long before they were easily found within bridal boutiques.

We have expanded beyond Truvelle with three sister brands: Laudae (form-fitting gowns with a focus on bold lace), Aesling (sleek, all-crepe gowns for the modern minimalist), and Halseene (fashion-forward designs geared to the curve community). We have managed to stay at the forefront of trendsetting, never emulating, instead setting the bar for bridal, consistently breaking the mold while staying true to our original goal: making gowns for real women with a focus on design, fit, and quality.

P: Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

Our brides are a huge source of inspiration. I make a point of spending time in our Vancouver & Calgary boutiques, so I can meet with our clients in person and learn firsthand who they are & what they want. I also really enjoy sourcing fabrics & find myself designing something because the fabric would be perfect for it. And last but not least, I aim to live an interesting life—design is subjective, and it's so important that my personal style & opinions continue evolving so I can grow.

P: Given that each piece is handmade and the designs are intricate, how long does it take to create a gown?

Our regular timeline is around six months. This time frame allows us to operate smoothly and efficiently even in our busiest season, and make sure that there is enough time for the dress to go through quality control and final checks so that the finished gown is immaculate and ready to be shipped. Some months, we’re making upwards of 400 dresses for our 70+ stockists around the world. We also have options for rush orders, in case a bride needs her dress made faster.

P: What has been the most memorable piece that you have created? Is there a story behind the piece?

This dress is no longer in our collection, but the most memorable dress to me is our rose gold sequined Eden dress. It was part of my first collection and the gown that put us on the map. It was also the gown that made me realize that bridal was moving in a new direction.

P: The brand has expanded to have stockists worldwide, as far-reaching as Belgium, Australia, and France. What were some important milestones you recall along the way?

Getting our first Canadian retailer, followed soon after by our first American retailer was a huge moment, as it verified that I was going in the right direction. Moving the business out of my apartment & into our first warehouse was another huge milestone for us.

P: What do you hope to accomplish with Truvelle Bridal in the long term?

We first aimed to grow Truvelle by adding more offerings (veils, social wear, and collaborations with other designers), but the real growth success came from launching our sister labels. Today we have four dress lines total, each unique in its own way to suit a variety of tastes.

Long term, I would love to see Truvelle be the benchmark for Canadian bridal fashion. I would also love the company to inspire others to manufacture locally & sustainably.

Gaby’s story certainly inspires us to rethink business as it has always been done. Speak with any entrepreneur and they are likely to tell you that they started their business because they were frustrated with the existing way of doing things.

With Truvelle, the bridal shopping experience is re-imagined as well as the designs. Just because it’s always been a certain way, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. Especially during the unique and uncertain times we live in now; this seems to be the perfect time to shake things up!

Her journey also shows that not getting into business school may be a blessing in disguise! An unconventional path will lead you to unconventional results, just like the exponential growth that Truvelle has experienced.

With a leader like Gaby, we trust that the Truvelle brand and its sister brands are set for exciting developments in the future and we can’t wait to witness it! If you want to find out more about Gaby’s story, make sure to watch this video she has kindly shared with us depicting the start and growth of the Truvelle brand.

Photos courtesy of Truvelle