Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. This saying seems
to ring true for bridalwear retailers, as a high concentration of bridal
shops on just one street or neighborhood is a phenomenon to be found in
several cities around the world. For this sector, the proximity to the
competition is often an asset rather than a hindrance, as planning a
wedding is an exciting but elaborate task, brides and grooms appreciate the
convenience.

São Paulo, Brazil: the Mecca of a billion-dollar
market

If you ask a local for directions to São Paulo’s São Caetano
street, the name probably will not ring a bell. Most locals know it as ‘Rua
das Noivas’ (Brides’ street) as it is home to more than 200 bridalwear
stores and rental locations. But things weren’t always this way: until the
1950s, São Caetano street was best known for footwear. Little by little,
bridalwear retailers started coming in, attracting competitors. Brides,
grooms and bridesmaids can find clothing and accessories from several price
ranges, from the most discreet to the most extravagant options.

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When it comes to weddings,
Brazilians like it big, which is why the sector is one of the few that have
not been affected by the country’s rampant financial crisis, growing an
impressive 25 percent between 2013 and 2016. The wedding sector had a
turnover of 18 billion reals (approximately 4.47 billion US dollars or 3.5
billion pounds) in 2018, when more than 1 million weddings took place
across the country, according to the Brazilian Association of Social Events
(Abrafesta). Almost 8 percent of the sector’s annual turnover comes from
the city of São Paulo alone, as many brides travel to São Paulo from other
parts of the country just to visit the famous street.

Taipei city,
Taiwan: a street to solve all wedding-related problems

Just like São
Paulo, over 30 bridalwear shops congregated on a short street of less than
1 kilometer in an upscale neighborhood in central Taipei. Zhongshan Road
North began to attract bridalwear and photography studios because of its
convenient location. Right on the route towards popular photo spots in the
countryside, all couples on their way for their wedding photoshoot would
pass through this street. During the 80s, outdoor wedding photography was
the new big thing, creating a booming wedding industry in the area.

At its heyday, over 50 wedding-related stores have established their
businesses side by side to their competitors. In order to stand out from
fierce competition, many shops even sent out salespeople onto the street to
get the attention of couples overwhelmed by all the choices available.

Today, you can find all wedding-related services such as
photography, beauty salons, cake bakeries and travel agencies on this
street, offering a one-stop-shop for everything couples need to plan their
wedding and honeymoon. No longer confined to local day trips, many agencies
offer lavish overseas photoshoots, offering a plethora of locations from
white sand beaches to medieval gothic churches. Many stores offers one-stop
solutions with full service packages, which covers everything from dress
rental, photoshoot trips, and onsite event photography on the big day.

The bridal industry of Taiwan is estimated to be worth 100 billion
NT (equivalent to 3 billion EUR) in 2018; yet, the number of weddings per
year has been steadily decreasing over the past decade. 2017 has only
produced 135,000 pairs of wedded couples, 10,000 less than the previous
year. Albeit having a shrinking market, the wedding industry is booming
with new players; in the past two years around 80 new brands and services
has entered this fierce race.

Hong Kong: industrial area for
wedding dresses

An industrial district sounds like the least
romantic place to find the perfect dress, but that’s exactly where many
Hong Kong brides flock to. Dominated by factories and offices, the Kwun
Tong district is frequented by truck drivers and labourers. In recent
years, the area has been going through a gentrification process, with
businesses like galleries and studios coming in. Bridalwear shops are among
the newcomers as retailers struggle to pay rent in shopping malls and
upscale shopping streets. The surroundings may be less glamorous, but Kwun
Tong offers larger, more affordable retail spaces.

The Hong Kong
bridal industry worth around 6.1 billion HKD (equivalent of 700 million
EUR) as of 2018. Similar to Taiwan, the number of newlyweds has been
steadily decreasing; however the average spending is on the rise. On
average, a couple spend around 330,000 HKD (approximately 30,000 EUR) on
one wedding, and this figure is expected to grow in the coming years.