Today we’d like to introduce you to Cocoe Voci.
Hi Cocoe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My love for the “wedding dress” started long before I ever imagined creating them. As a child, I loved fancy dresses that characters wore in TV shows and films which led me to sketch long dresses with extravagant details such as fur and embroidered pythons!
I taught myself to sew by watching my mom make me a few dresses. She had such patience and a beautiful finishing touch. I made dresses for my dolls and eventually started making clothes for myself, whether sewn or crocheted. I had a teenage neighbor that would give me the clothes she was tired of which I experimented with by cutting apart and redesigning them. I liked wearing original pieces rather than the same clothes other kids wore.
Even with this passion for creating fashion, I never thought of it as a career option. In school, I was immersed in math and science because my father reinforced that the only career worth having was medicine. Once in college, I snapped out of this and pursued business which I saw as a different creative outlet, one of creating new businesses.
Upon graduating, I found myself in a retail bridal job after an unpleasant “first gig” at a textile company. I loved working with brides because of their excitement for life as they embarked upon marriage. I also enjoyed seeing the work the seamstresses and tailors did to achieve a proper fit on such a variety of figure types. I learned the formula of the bridal salons I worked for…the never-ending purchase of products at required minimums and the purchased advertising to promote that product. With that came the pressure on the sales staff to sell dresses with as many accessories at all costs.
This experience inspired me to open my own boutique in L.A. devoted to creating wedding dresses for the right reasons and for unique and interesting brides. I opened my first store on Melrose Ave directly across from the famed Fred Segal. My goal was to create special pieces with attention to every detail that my clients would treasure always. The custom design process is a true collaboration between the bride and the designer. It involves bringing a mood, a vision, and a beautiful fit to life. Lasting relationships have come from this intimate process. My very first custom client remains a friend today!
With so much design inspiration, I launched my first national bridal collection during bridal fashion week in 2000! I partnered with several exclusive bridal salons throughout the US including Neiman Marcus. It was an exciting experience because of the shows, press, travel, trunk shows, and the opportunity to dress brides across the country and in Europe.
Today, I am back to my sweet spot and favorite part of the bridal business…the creative and intimate facet of designing one-of-a-kind dresses and accessories for my clients.
I wanted to do this in a location as special as the dress design and the dress-making process would be so I spent the pandemic redesigning and developing a retail space on Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills. The process took an entire year of micromanaging every aspect from the ceiling to the floor, similar to when I managed the making of each wedding dress. The result is a gorgeous and luxurious space in which I love to spend time, meet with clients, and create.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life is beautiful but never smooth. As my husband, Steven has said, “business is nothing but solving problems”. Fortunately, I am a good problem solver.
As in any “people” business, dealing with many different kinds of people and their agendas is always challenging. You need to be good at reading people and their intentions whether they are clients or your own team.
You also need to have good rules in place with your team to maintain harmony, efficiency, and profitability. The same goes with clients where it is important to have an honest relationship, especially in the custom design and fit process.
That said, my biggest obstacle has been myself. I lost sight of what I really wanted from my business. Although I started my first retail boutique with a detailed business plan, I grew organically and too quickly. One of my favorite books is the children’s book, The Lorax, because of the message of biggering,
At first I didn’t realize
I needed all this stuff
I had a little cottage
And that cottage was enough
A place where I could sit and knit
A place where I could sell my Thneeds
But now I’ve had a little time
To re-assess my needs
And I need a bigger office
I need a bigger chair
A bigger desk, a bigger staff
A bigger hat to wear
Because I’m biggering
I’m figuring I’m biggering
And biggering is triggering
More biggering…
After the “biggering” I expereinced, I am now in a beautiful place proffesionally and creatively.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love to create, period!
My husband calls me “the master of complications” because everything I do is custom whether it’s an aspect of interior space, a landscape element, furnishings, clothing, everything!
I chose custom wedding dresses as my specialty because the true romantic in me sees marriage as a “forever” commitment and the wedding dress as an expression of the self on this monumental day.
I pride myself on really getting to know and understand my clients. I see each one as truly unique in their style, their figure, and their vision. I take each design challenge seriously and obsess about every detail because it’s important that each custom piece makes my clients feel special, confident, and beautiful.
To get the results, conversation and collaboration lead to the sketched design. Next, I curate a selection of textiles and ornamentation for my client to select from. After taking many figure measurements, a muslin pattern is made to then fit directly on the figure. This is the perfect opportunity to see the silhouette of the design in 3-D and perfect it on the body. The smallest details, such as moving the waistline up or down a fraction of an inch, reshaping the neckline, etc., make a difference. After this fitting, the muslin pattern is taken apart, edited, and transferred to a flat pattern in order to cut the real garment fabrics with perfection. The dress is fit again before the finishing touches for any additional adjustments due to the fall and movement of the real fabrics. Finally, the hand-finishing is done and the custom-designed gown is finished!
Recently, I have taken on a very exciting design challenge inspired by the numerous rolls of beautiful fabrics in my design studio. These countless rolls are deadstock…they are remains and memories of many custom dresses that I couldn’t part with.
I am creating a collection of one-of-a-kind designs named “DEADSTOCK FROCK”. Each design is dictated by the amount of yardage in the fabric remnant or the shape if the fabric is an irregular cut. I drape, mold, and cut each piece to become a wearable frock. The designs reach beyond bridal yet many of the fabrics originated from a wedding gown conception so they are mostly fine silks. These fabrics are being transformed into unique, creative and fun pieces that may be worn to a party, a wedding, a night out, a destination elopement or anything! Soon the first group of FROCKS will be complete which I will showcase at my 185north Robertson showroom!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I have an amazing flex schedule and work by appointment only. This gives me the ability to research materials, experiment with design, and focus 100% on my clients. Unless I know the client already, I start the process with a phone conversation or email which then leads to an in-person appointment for which I take a nominal deposit, this may be applied to the custom-designed piece or any of the lovely fashion items I have at my showroom. I take each appointment seriously and expect my clients to do the same. By taking the time to communicate with the client before meeting them in person, I am able to prepare a selection of sample dresses and or materials to show. Depending on the conversation exchanged, I may also have preliminary sketches drafted.
My showroom is located at 185 N Robertson Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211 (one block north of Wilshire Blvd.).
Email: [email protected] & [email protected]
Phone (424)944-5999
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.cocoevoci.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cocoevocidesign/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cocoe-voci-5b9100153/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/cocoevoci/cocoe-voci-collections/
Image Credits
Max Tepper Felicia Lasala Schmidt Vaughn Voci Jenny Rolapp
