New bridal shop is opening doors for fashion students

Solana Bridal is a new bridal shop in Santa Ana housed inside a massive warehouse with open windows and gold accents and flowers and white walls. It gives New York minimalist loft vibes and shouldn’t fit in downtown but somehow does. 

The shop feels like that super cute well dressed girl that can walk into any room and win everyone over. That’s the vibe that shopowners Sherene and Lana Obeid give off at least. The mother-daughter duo are a tight team; in fact, the shop’s name, Solana, symbolizes the bond between the two. Solana is an acronym: the “S” stands for Sherene (the mother), the “o” represents their family name, Obeid, and “lana” is for the daughter.

Solana has made a name for itself not only for its mission of sustainability and selling new and pre-loved dresses, but for helping local fashion students to stick their high heels into the highly competitive fashion industry and to gain skills in dressmaking, modeling, and showrunning.

This is what drew SAC fashion student Ri Gomez to apply as an intern to the new bridal shop. Gomez worked for Solana during its soft opening earlier this year and was quickly promoted to manage a wedding fashion show as part of Solana’s grand opening. 

Gomez, who keeps up with the fashion industry not by looking at trends, but by watching what her friends wear and what they are willing to spend money on, she would worry as a teen about what she would wear to her own wedding because she didn’t like anything on the market. Wedding dresses are something that still occupy her thoughts, and the opportunity to work with Solana felt like a dream come true. “My grandma was a tailor, she would make dresses and costumes for me when I was a kid.” 

She wasn’t the only student that Solana has helped out.

The Obeids had the idea of inviting high school and college students interested in fashion to collaborate with on their opening show. Finding the students was part of Gomez’s first task. She jumped on it with enthusiasm, but her busy schedule made the project challenging to pull off.

“I was working at Disney at the time, while going to school as well, I had my plate full,” wrote Gomez via email.

Soon after, Solana employed students from colleges and high schools, including Santa Ana College, Orange Coast College, California State University, Long Beach, and Orange County School of the Arts.

Clio Franchi, an 18-year-old student at Orange County School for the Arts, got involved because her fashion teacher had suggested it. It sounded like a “fun experience,” said Franch

Through working the show, Franchi learned to be a better model. “I would say I’ve definitely learned how to walk better in heels,” she explained. “But also how to perform with confidence in front of big groups of people.”

Niki Navarro, a student at Orange Coast College, is also an intern at Solana and worked as a dresser for the show. “I love the energy around weddings, the planning, the styling, and problem-solving to create the flawless day.” 

Navarro also appreciates what the boutique means for downtown Santa Ana. “I grew up going here, and it has changed a lot through the years, and it makes me sad,” she said. For her, adding this to the community boutique feels welcoming for people of color. She hopes to gain skills at Solana like complex garment construction and fitting, as well as hands-on production and design techniques specific to bridal wear. She hopes to design a dress for Sola Bridal one day. “I’d be excited to contribute a design and learn from the team.”

“They were eager to help us since we’re college students,” said Lana Tran, a volunteer dresser for the show as well as a student at Cal State Long Beach. 

As for the opening day, the fashion student team pulled it off. Guests were dressed to impress, matching the shop’s vibe scheme with beautiful outfits paired with designer bags and shoes. The singer Ellie Soufi walked out singing “Only Fools Rush In” in a beautiful corset lace tulle A-line dress with beautiful flowers. Following behind her, the violinist Abigail Shelon strolled out with roses all over the dress. Many beautiful dresses followed. A ball gown dress with pearls spread all over the dress and a matching veil, a simple but elegant dress, big fairy tale dresses and a short dress for the reception. They also featured an elegant dress with puffy sleeves on the top with beautiful flower details at the bottom of the dress simple with a matching veiled hijab.

With this win in her sewing kit, and thanks to Solana, Gomez’s dream of one day opening a sustainable bridal boutique that caters to diverse sizes certainly seems within reach.

Her future seems bright and happy, a fitting tale for someone who helps others create their special day.

 

 

 

 

Models walked the runway with confidence and elegance, captivating the audience not only with the beauty of the dresses but with their presence and poise.

Photos by Christopher Michael / el Don