LoveShackFancy did not emerge from a venture capital pitch deck. The company began in 2013 out of sheer frustration over wedding attire. Preparing for her own wedding at her family's Bridgehampton home, Cohen found contemporary bridal market offerings stiff and clinical. She wanted effortless movement, romance, and sunlight.
Working alongside her mother, Nancy Hessel, she designed a halter dress cut from flowing silk chiffon. Her bridesmaids wore them barefoot on the grass. Friends noticed immediately. Shortly after, requests poured in from coastal socialites seeking the same ethereal, sun-drenched look. She produced a modest capsule of hand-dyed silk slips out of her mother's garage, packing orders by hand. Those Hamptons bridal collection origins provided an organic foundation. Cohen skipped wholesale pitch conventions entirely, instead putting the clothes straight onto friends, summer party hosts, and vacationers who mirrored her exact lifestyle.
