The dress industry received a green light after the two years of a tough break due to the pandemic. Some of the eager students are already preparing for proms, and the wedding industry is booming as many couples hurry planning their delayed weddings. According to wedding company The Knot, this year there will be 2.6 million reservations for wedding which is a record high. An increasing number of customers are shopping for dresses at the same time they are at a beauty supply for their hair and beauty products. A dress season has come ahead of the spring. Here comes 2022 trend and our analysis of the business opportunity for beauty supplies.

Dress for a special occasion

When you think about a dress, wedding is one of the most common memories. In addition to the bridal dresses, dresses for bridesmaids and mothers of the bride and groom, and reception dresses for after the ceremony are part of the weddings. In America, most people own their wedding dresses rather than renting them, and the average expense is reportedly $1,500 to $1,600 as of 2018. Often, wedding dresses are also called wedding gowns, and the term gown denotes that the dress is even more formal.

A bride and bridesmaids in dress

The sales revenue for prom dresses cannot be overlooked. According to a dress shop employee, the busiest time of the year is March to May, when most prom parties are held, accounting for 40% of the annual sales revenue. For high school seniors, prom, the end of academic year party, serves as an occasion celebrating coming of age. For some this dance party can be the last party in their school life, so they dress up from the head to the toe, and many of their parents spend heavily on congratulating their children’s special occasion.

Students dressed up for their prom

Quinceañera, sometimes called simply quince, are coming back to popularity. Quinceañera is a Hispanic tradition where you celebrate a girl’s 15th birthday, and it is said that people save money for many years, if not ever since birth, to spend on a quinceañera party. The birthday girl usually wears a white or pink colored and elaborate dress having a big, wide skirt that billows out in a bell shape.

A girl in a quinceañera dress ⓒWikipedia ⓐChristopher Prentiss Michel

2022 Spring Dress Trend

Every August, Americas Mart in Atlanta hosts a dress show called the World of Prom & Social Occasion and VOW New World of Bridal.

More than 150 brands participate in the event to showcase prom, wedding, beauty pageant, and quinceañera dresses, making it the biggest dress show.  Buyers at the show will place orders which will be fulfilled in 3-6 months so that they can be sold in the Spring season. Last year’s World of Prom and Social Occasion promo video, therefore, we can give us a sneak peak at 2022 Spring trend.

World of Prom & Social Occasion + VOW | New World of Bridal 2021 Fashion Show ⓒAtlanta Apparel

Sequence

Sparkling spangles will make the embellished dress shine.

ⓒColors Dress

Split

A bold split skirt is a major trend for prom dresses of today.

ⓒMorilee

Bright and vibrant colors

Hot pink, orange, electric violet, and so on. Bright and vibrant colors are popular among teens.

ⓒColors Dress

One shoulder

An unbalanced dress revealing a side of the shoulder line generates a unique appeal.

ⓒColors Dress

A-line or mermaid

As opposed to a big, wide shape, slim lines are more popular.
Body fitting mermaid lines create a simple and elegant look.

ⓒMorilee

Beading

A dress embellished with various materials including crystals, pearls, gems, and beads.
It tends to be on the expensive side due to the manual labor involved.

ⓒJovani

Off the shoulder

Provocatively exposing your collarbones, you can emphasize your neck and shoulder line.
The result is an elegant and feminine look.

ⓒclarisse

Train

An elegant and classic look from the back is created by the long back trailing behind the wearer.

ⓒJovani

Dress shop-in-shop inside “So Good” beauty supply in Georgia

There are beauty supply retail stores that run a dedicated retail space for dresses inside. In these stores, they tend to carry more expensive brands than dress shops in the malls, and customers can shop everything from hair to shoes and accessories matching their chosen dress without leaving the premise. In fact, when we visited So Good, we encountered girls who are shopping for quince dresses and tiaras as well as a customer who came to purchase wigs and decided to eye-shop wedding dresses for her daughter. The beautiful dresses had a mood-lifting impact for the entire retail floor as well.

Wedding, prom, and quinceañera dresses and accessories in a beauty supply store

Nonetheless, only a handful number of beauty supplies have a dedicated space for dresses. Why? One of the biggest reasons is the space. Dresses and mannequins take a large space not to mention that you need extra space for a fitting room. Dresses need to be stocked in various sizes whereas their sales are at a lot slower pace than hair and beauty products. As such, you need a sufficient space to store and display dresses till the season comes.

This might not be a critical problem in the trend of beauty supply stores getting bigger and bigger. Another reason can be found in the hardship of placing orders for dresses. Dress wholesalers are not well connected to beauty supplies and hard to find. The wholesale price runs from $99 to $299, which results in a substantial initial investment. According to the CEO who ran a dress shop for more than 20 years, dress business is particularly hard to set up. It takes 1-2 years to complete the initial setup including interior and merchandise, and a substantial amount of money must be invested in non-liquid assets. On the other hand, we heard that it is relatively easier to run the business once the setup is complete.

It is not to say that you should simply take a shot. You need a retail space, suppliers, and specialized staff that has a working knowledge of ordering and selling dresses with trend in mind. However, it seems obvious that a dress shop-in-shop is a win-win companion for a beauty supply store. It is especially true for 2022 Spring season welcoming customers back after a two-year hiatus.