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African Designers: Amsale Aberra – Ethiopia

This Ethiopian-American designer spotted a market for the simpler dresses in the bridal dress market and cashed in on the concept by selling some of her simpler gowns in boutiques throughout New York in high end stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus when she first started out in the 1980s and eventually opened her first shop on Madison Avenue in 1996. She continues this day to be one of the leading designers in the bridal wear industry.

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African Designers: Paul van Zyl Couture – South Africa

The inspiration for the beautiful and unique Paul van Zyl bridal gowns stems from his time working in the Cape Town Opera Chorus as well as having drawn inspiration from his childhood days of his mother making his clothing by hand. These influences have combined into the Paul van Zyl Couture line of beautiful wedding dresses, found throughout South Africa as well as on South Africa’s fashion week catwalks.

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African Designers: Brides By NoNA – Nigeria

This Nigerian-American designer, based in Atlanta focuses on bespoke and custom designed bridal gowns from simple and elegant to elaborate and stunningly exquisite. Her skills in design also help her develop stunning evening gowns, dresses for bridesmaids and other dresses for those looking to add a bit of true elegance and culture into their wardrobe – either for weddings or special occasions.

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African Designers: David Tlale – South Africa

This designer focuses on bringing true African style to his wedding dress designs and they have some truly unconventional styles such as black gowns and African wedding print gowns to choose from to help make your day simply unforgettable. With the splashes of colour and patterning, his take on the wedding dress turns a traditional gown into a work of African art.

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African Designers: Didi Couture – South Africa

The perfect designer for those brides to be that have been dreaming of the perfect wedding since childhood, Didi Couture takes dream weddings to the next level by providing the dream dress. With satin sashes, imported lace, fairytale dresses and veils and more, the perfect dress is yours with this fantastic South African designer.

 Courtesy of elbethgillis.com

African Designers: Elizabeth Gillis Couture – South Africa

Serving brides to be looking for their dream dresses for over 20 years, Elizabeth Gillis Couture continues to develop stunning, luxurious and timeless bridal pieces which have been shown in boutiques and magazines across the world. As well as being available to purchase in boutiques in countries such as the UK, Ireland and across South Africa, you can view her whole range of beautiful pieces on her website.

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African Designers: Farida Deglel – Eritrea

While based in Abu Dhabi, Farida Deglel focuses her time on producing beautiful wedding gowns for brides to be using traditional Eritrean fabrics and designs. Her dresses are a perfect blend of modern and traditional and also encapsulate not just Eritrean but also Middle Eastern and Western influences, resulting in the perfect dresses for all brides.

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African Designers: Gbemi Okunlola – United Kingdom

This impressive designer is almost a household name in the UK having been featured on ‘Young Apprentice’ and was also named London’s youngest fashion designer when she was only 11 years old. Ever since, Gbemi Okunlola has made an impressive name for herself with her bespoke bridal boutiques of AloNuko along with her own designer brand in 2015.

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African Designers: Mai Atafo – Nigeria

This classic and timeless design brand gained its reputation for developing beautiful and elegant gowns for brides as well as evening wear for both men and women. For some truly uniquely inspired dresses, check out his Le’ Festoon collection on his website maiatafoinspired.com.

Courtesy of shukrihashi.com

African Designers: Shukri Hashi – Somalia

This Somali-British designer has made a name for themselves through the development of show stopping bridal gowns that feature traditional Somali colours and patterns. Taking the Somalian wedding dress and turning it into western styled bridal gowns with all the fanfare, this designer has made real waves in the bridal industry, resulting in not just unique, but eye-catching and gorgeous gowns.