The Saga of Hayley Paige Wedding Dresses
The wedding dress designer finally has her name back
This is a different type of post for me but I’ve been very intrigued by the legal dispute so I wanted to spill my thoughts!
I first found out about Hayley Paige wedding dresses back in 2015(ish) when one of my favorite influencers at the time, Katey McFarlan, wore one of her dresses for her wedding. I thought it was the most beautiful gown I’d ever seen and I immediately started following Hayley Paige on Instagram.
I was single and no where near walking down an aisle but I loved the designer’s infectious energy, Disney princess like designs, and her love of weddings. In 2019, I worked as a social media manager for a bridal shop in Long Island for just two weeks before they fired me for making too many mistakes, but in those two weeks I learned so much about wedding dresses and designers.
I fell further in love with Hayley Paige dresses and determined that whenever/if ever, I get married I’d wear one of her dresses.
Things took a turn when it was revealed in 2020 that JLM Couture, the owner of Hayley Paige designs, had shut her out of her Instagram account and was legally, not allowing her to use her own name in any business dealings, including on social media. This was all alongside JLM accusing Paige of disrupting her noncompete by promoting other brands.
This quote is taken directly from a Bloomberg article on the case:
JLM sued Gutman for trademark infringement, breach of contract, and control of the accounts in 2020 after employment contract negotiations broke down.
What ensued was a heartbreaking battle that Hayley Paige documented on a new Instagram account called ‘AllThatGlittersOnTheGram’.
For years, she battled in the courts and online, advocating against non compete contracts, promoting entrepreneurs to protect their name and their intellectual property, all while fighting to get back what was rightfully hers.
In this time, Hayley Paige was not allowed to produce any bridal designs but found her way and started a shoe brand under a new name ‘Cheval’. It felt like Hayley Paige was making her way back into the fashion world, even if it was in a different capacity.
The case kind of broke my heart; you could see the passion Hayley Paige had for the bridal industry and I thought it was unfair how she was being treated in the courts. Every few months she’d post updates on her new Instagram account and it honestly felt like she would never get her name and designs back.
That all changed a few weeks ago when she took to her Instagram — coposted with both the All That Glitters and Hayley Paige accounts, and announced the courts had sided with her, cases were overturned and she would get everything back; she gained access to her accounts, could use her name online and in business, and was taken out of her noncompete which means that she could immediately start producing wedding dresses. She also gained the intellectual property to all of her older designs which is almost unheard of.
It was the best news to so many upcoming brides, and people who just love Hayley Paige’s infectious, bubbly personality and her resilience to adapt and put her best foot forward.
I can’t claim to understand everything that happened in the case, but it was so interesting to follow for the past four years, to learn about the need to safeguard your art, your work, and your name. Hayley really stood her ground, she fought for what was rightfully hers and bounced back when it seemed like everything was against her. It was very inspiring and I’m over the moon happy that she got everything she deserved.
It is an incredibly interesting and frustrating case to follow and highly recommend looking more into it if you love fashion.