Catering to brides with an edge, Justin Alexander Signature enlisted help from an Italian graffito, Gioele Corradengo (aka Sexsdreams), who added his own signature to its spring 2025 collection.
Part of the brand’s “Verses in Contrast” campaign, the limited-edition spray-painted gowns were teased Monday at a cocktail event in New York where guests were invited to tag a dress themselves and bid on Sexsdreams’ canvas artwork. One-hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Vow for Girls, a bridal industry coalition to end childhood marriage.
“I was captivated by Gioele’s work and loved the idea of a collaboration to introduce something different, out of the box and unexpected,” said Justin Warshaw, chief executive officer and creative director for Justin Alexander. Since taking over his family business in 2008, Warshaw said he always looks for ways to express his personal interests through design. “We’re not afraid to infuse tradition with a rebellious spirit,” he continued.
“Verses in Contrast” stars model Hailey Clauson with Manhattan as the backdrop. One image shows her posing beneath the Empire State Building wearing a diva fit-and-flare with Sexsdreams’ cartoon hearts, while another features her running through Chelsea streets in a princess silhouette, it’s brocade skirt scrawled with a love poem he and Warshaw generated using AI.
Fittingly, Sexsdreams described their partnership as a marriage: “It feels like a total union between me and Justin,” he said. “We have an energy that allows us to be one.” The artist, whose previous fashion tie-ups have been relegated to streetwear, was thrilled to bring his punk style into the refined bridal universe, adding it “offered an opportunity to showcase that graffiti goes beyond mere vandalism.” The capsule will be fully unveiled April 7 in his home city during Justin Alexander’s runway presentation at Milan Bridal Fashion Week.
Aware the market for graffitied wedding gowns will likely be niche, Warshaw and Sexsdreams remain hopeful they can spark a trend. “We have a series of events and trunk shows in April, May and June, and we will be sending them around for brides to see and try on,” Warshaw said.
