Alumni With Her Name Restored, Alum Can Again Say ‘Yes’ to the Dresses Stories You May Like Alum’s Firm Sells Garments Long Seen as an Oxymoron: Comfy Bras Designing Clothes for Kids with Sensory Issues Cornell Fashion Collective Spotlights Big Red Design Flair Long sidelined by a contract dispute, star bridal designer Hayley Paige Gutman ’07 is happily headed back down the aisle By Melissa Newcomb In May 2024, Hayley Paige Gutman ’07 updated her Instagram bio with this message: “I’ve missed you.” For the previous three years, Gutman had been unable to post to her 1.1 million followers under her own name—or practice her profession as a wedding dress designer—in the midst of a contentious legal battle with her former employer. “I never thought announcing myself would be an announcement in itself,” she admits in a video she posted at the time. “I am Hayley Paige. I want to shout it from the rooftops! I feel like a kid on Christmas.” Prior to the split, Gutman’s Hayley Paige brand had become one of the most sought-after among Millennial brides—renowned for designs that are both classically romantic and fashion-forward. For example: a gown called the “Warren,” which features an A-line shape with a deep V-neck, a keyhole back, a bodice beaded with iridescent rhinestones, and a flowing, side-slit skirt in layers of ivory organza. Gracing the cover of a leading bridal mag. “If Hayley Paige is known for one thing, it’s creating wedding dresses with a healthy dose of shimmer," Martha Stewart Weddings observed in 2018. "That, and designing her eponymous collection with a distinctly vibrant, youthful vibe and a dose of edginess.” Gutman spent a decade building her brand under the umbrella of a multi-label bridal house. On the red carpet. But when the business relationship soured, a noncompete clause and other contractual issues stripped her of the right to use her own name, design wedding dresses, or control her social media accounts. “I couldn’t even go to Starbucks and have my name written on the cup,” she says, “or I was in violation.” Gutman—who grew up in Northern California as the daughter of a surgeon and an interior designer—had dreamed of creating wedding dresses since she was a little girl who watched Disney princesses live happily ever after. She learned to sew from her grandmother; when she created her own prom gown, she says, “it looked like a wedding dress. It was straight-up white and it had tulle.” I couldn’t even go to Starbucks and have my name written on the cup or I was in violation. On the Hill, she majored in fiber science and apparel design and was a varsity gymnast who’d competed internationally. Her senior collection for the annual fashion show? You guessed it: Bridal gowns. Fellow students model Gutman's senior collection. Gutman’s decade-long rise in the industry included building a large social media following and regularly appearing on the long-running TLC reality show “Say Yes to the Dress,” which follows women searching for the perfect bridal gown. “I have a slight-to-major Hayley Paige obsession,” a bride-to-be admits on one episode. On the Big Red gymnastics team. “I’m a little bit in love with her. I kind of want to be best friends.” (As the same bride also observes: “She’s like a little fairy princess, and I want to hug her.”) During Gutman’s enforced hiatus from wedding dresses, she began designing shoes under a new brand, She Is Cheval. (The word is the French term for horse.) Stories You May Like Alum’s Firm Sells Garments Long Seen as an Oxymoron: Comfy Bras Designing Clothes for Kids with Sensory Issues She also launched a new Instagram, calling herself “A Girl You Might Know”—and let followers connect the dots. “It was positive momentum that I really needed. I felt like I had the support of the public court, even if I wasn’t doing well in the federal court,” Gutman recalls. “It was validation that I was doing the right thing in fighting back, and somehow it will work out.” Designs from the She Is Cheval shoe collection. As litigation dragged on, the case garnered national media coverage, including in Cosmopolitan, People, Newsweek, “Good Morning America,” and elsewhere. After an appeals court restored ownership of her social accounts in spring 2024, she and her former employer reached a settlement, with Gutman retaining her designs, trademarks, copyrights—and most importantly, her name. I felt like I had the support of the public court, even if I wasn’t doing well in the federal court. In July 2024, several months after the Federal Trade Commission proposed a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements, Gutman testified before a Congressional subcommittee about the harm such clauses can cause. Says Gutman: “It was such justice to go to the U.S. Senate and get to share my entire story, start to finish, accurately.” Testifying before a U.S. Senate subcommittee. (A federal court in Texas struck down the FTC ban in August 2024; the agency is appealing the decision.) In the wake of her legal battle, Gutman—who says she signed her original contract in her mid-20s, without representation by an attorney—created a nonprofit, the A Girl You Might Know Foundation. It’s dedicated to giving artists and entrepreneurs—particularly young women—access to legal advice and other resources to help protect their rights in the business world. Gutman’s new line of bridal attire is set to debut in 2025—and she aims to return to “Say Yes to the Dress.” “I’m excited to take some of my best-selling, iconic pieces and bring them back in an elevated and fresh way,” she says. “I’m recapturing my signature aesthetic, but also showing I’ve gained some lessons along the way. More grit to my grace.” With a young fan. Top: Gutman with models in her bridal designs. (All images provided.) Published December 19, 2024 Comments Judith Lehr, Class of 1969 7 Jan, 2025 I was so happy to learn that Hayley Paige is an alumna! On “Say Yes”, it was always clear that her vibrant personality, warm regard for brides-to-be, joy and sensational style added so much to the show. Welcome back to your name, Hayley. Reply Sean Murphy, Class of 2024 12 Jan, 2025 My daughter wore a Hayley Paige to her wedding. Beautiful. Everyone at the venue, Chatham Bars Inn, was commenting, “most beautiful bride”, and no this is not just dad saying this. Reply Susan Ashdown, Class of 1989 12 Jan, 2025 Confession: worst advice I ever gave one of my students was to say to Hayley ‘don’t focus entirely on wedding dresses; you may discover that you end up designing something else, or even in an entirely different career’. Thank goodness Hayley ignored my advice. But in my defense, most of my students at the time were focused on evening dresses, wedding dresses, and Disney princesses! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Storytime with Corey What’s the Most Iconic Cornell Tradition? Vote in the Final! Cornelliana ‘Good Health, Tempered Courage, and Sound Common Sense’ Alumni Sherwoods of Cornell Keep Harmonizing Through the Years