Northern Ireland Dress Designer talks openly about her profession.

 Wow, I never quite know what to say when people ask me what I do for my living. I'm not a pushy, confident, self promoting character and thank fully to survive so far I haven't need to be. How do you best describe what I do?

  What does it take to be a dress designer?

I would say passion and professionalism. I didn't plan to do what I do so I don't know nor did I think before I started this job what it meant or what I needed, I was passionate about giving it a go. ( not the best business practice, nor a sound business plan. However I decided straight away if people were going to take me seriously I needed a proper business premises.

  Why dress design?

I went to Ulster University and studied embroidery as my specialist subject but naturally fashion was part of the course. When I started my career straight after my degree I would make bridal headdresses and bridal veils for clients. As to the dresses, well at the start I did the embroidery work for other designers on their dresses, it took a while for me to be brave enough to work directly for the client.

  Tell us about your first bridal dress commission.

My first bride was a lawyer, which when I look back now was a bit scary! However we had plenty of time and she and I knew if things hadn't progressed in the right direction we both had options. I can  look back at photos today and say that it is still one of my favourite dresses and I loved the flowers I made to go with her dress.

  What is it like being a dress designer?

Its exciting, its scary, every client is different. I feel I have to be good at sewing but maybe more importantly I need to be good at reading my client's mind. To be a good dress designer uses lots and lots of different skills, communication, patience, adaptability and a passion to keep up to date with everything from style to fabrics even social media and best business practises.

What do you like about being a dress designer?

The people I meet the people I help and they things that I learn from them and about myself each garment.The longer the time I spend in this job the more I learn. It was fascinating to learn when I watched David Emanuel on the TV programme "I'm a Celebrity" how he got on and communicated with the other contestants, then I thought that's what you need to be a good couturer!! ( which is really another word for dress designer) Just for those who need to know he created Princess Diana's wedding dress with his wife Elizabeth. One of Diana's other popular dress designer's was a lady called Catherine Walker. Why do I mention her, well it was the relationship that the pair built up. I know that by the time I design and make a dress for someone that we become very close and usually remain friends, that makes my job very special. While I'm writing this, it's the weekend of the funeral of Prince Philip and who is to be beside the Queen at the funeral, her trusted dress designer Angela Kelly. All this mention of the royals, I feel I need to explain myself. I grew up on the shores of Strangford Lough far from the influences of dress designers. My only knowledge or introduction to the subject was when an important occasion hit the headlines. Most of our headlines in Northern Ireland were about the troubles then, so any mention of fashion designers and it sparked my interest. I lived on a farm with my mother who had done a little sewing, her cooking was more her thing. Maybe sub consciously my great aunts who sewed and made things rubbed off on me. As a family we rode and competed with our ponies and horses all around Ireland meeting and interacting with lots of different characters. How did I ever end up doing what I do? Is your life mapped out for you or do you decide? Are we put on this earth to inspire and influence others? I always end up with more questions than answers! What about You?

Let's get planning Your wedding and let's look forward to an exciting future.

 

The future of the Bridal industry going into the second quarter of 2021  looks so different to that of the industry that I have been accustomed to for so many years. In many ways, thank goodness! Having learnt so much about the bridal business over the years, brides’ tenacity in general, and having become professionals in strategy and survival, the industry and our business suddenly looks a lot brighter, smarter, stronger and more strategically focused than ever before.

Now is the time to consider what things add value to the business and the bridal experience going forward, and importantly I am physically in a position to maintain - whether from a time, space or financial requirement.

Some of you may have have experienced a digital video call with you and your bridal parties, whether it was for pre-qualification, pre-visit or to include the wider party during the appointment. When you consider each of these and relate them directly to your numbers, figure out which of these directly impacted and improved the bridal experience. As I return to welcoming brides back into my shop things have become busier than ever. Service and the personal touch is the key to my success.

We all know the importance of regular, engaging, and informative social media posts across all of the relevant platforms. Retailers and businesses in all sectors have become incredibly savvy in the last year at targeting and engaging directly with their customer online. Retailers in bridal and fashion, have really excelled and used the time effectively to present a sense of brand recognition, trust, and transparency with customers through engaging interactive posts. Those Reels, Stories, Tik Tok videos and creative content have kept potential new customers engaged and committed to choosing you as there first choice store when things re-open. However, content creation is time consuming and requires planning and management to ensure the quality and continuity remains intact going forward, especially if you are currently active across all the different platforms. When I analyse how long brides and myself could spend on these platforms I realise that just getting on with doing the work I have is much more cost effective. Well I don’t like spouting off and I don’t like being in front of a camera so best behind a sewing machine or talking to you in person. Assess the analytics and judge what works best for you, I bet you want to have the best experience in person with the person that can design and make your dress to your specific requirements. Support local makers and let’s get this wee country’s economy back up and running.

The latest plea from the Northern Ireland Wedding Industry.

It may be April Fools day but things are getting more serious. 

Northern Ireland’s leading wedding venues are calling on The Executive to provide a clear reopening criteria, starting with indicative reopening dates, following a year of severe loss and devastation.

The wedding industry in Northern Ireland has suffered over 90% loss of business over the past twelve months due to a cycle of lockdowns and restrictions slicing the number of wedding guests and venue capacities.

In pre-pandemic times, the wedding sector contributed £250m to the Northern Ireland economy, with around 8,000 weddings hosted each year. Now, venues and vendors are working at 10% capacity with a cap of 25 guests for ceremony only per wedding. It is hoped that Stage 3 will see the return of receptions as venues open in line with socially distanced capacity.

Industry leaders are now asking The Executive to lay out clear reopening criteria, indicative dates, and to provide information on the necessary data that will inform the size and scale of the opening of venues.

With peak wedding season being the summer, wedding operators and vendors are hoping to see indicative dates that will save this summer’s season and allow for some couples to be wed from May onwards. The industry is calling on a timescale to be published to ensure the right planning and time is afforded to couples planning their weddings for Summer 2021.

 

Sarah Mackie, Joint Owner of the Larchfield Estate in Lisburn and member of The UK Weddings Taskforce said:

 

“Without doubt, this has been the hardest year for our business. We have gone from being booked out and thriving to devastation in the space of twelve months. The wedding industry is currently only operating at 10% of its usual capacity, and this is having a major impact on specialist wedding businesses like ours right down to small suppliers.”

 

“Many exclusive wedding venues that are not within hotels were not eligible for financial assistance from the Government, with some not having received a single penny to date. We ask for parity on this front. This lack of support coupled with the stress and anxiety of emotional couples has put immense pressure upon our sector with 94% of wedding business owners reporting that their mental health has been affected by the situation.”

 

“Clarity on what data is needed for the reopening steps is now urgently required for us to begin to plan out how best to reopen and recover in the safest possible way that would be viable for our businesses.  Weddings take time to plan, and precision is needed to ensure our clients have a memorable day.” 

 

“The speed of the vaccination programme is commendable. Now is the time for the Recovery Plan to kick into action and for businesses like ours to begin trading properly again.”

 

“The Executive now must provide us with some indicative reopening times so that we can begin this process. Much of the summer’s bookings have already been lost or cancelled. We need to ensure this summer’s wedding season can go ahead, and there are no more disappointed couples or suppliers who already are under huge amounts of financial and mental stress.”

 

Emma Donaghy from The Old Rectory added:

 

“The wedding industry has been impacted severely by the pandemic. As a sector dedicated to providing the perfect day to couples across Northern Ireland, to see it so badly impacted by the pandemic is really hard. We are now looking to The Executive to provide some hope and guidance on the next steps for the sector to help map out recovery.”

 

“The industry has reported that around 60% of business has already been lost for this year, with further uncertainty over the viability of large-scale weddings this summer. It is time for support measures to be implemented for businesses which 85% of their income is reliant on weddings. A reopening date would be a start.”

 

“As with many businesses, a clear directive is needed for the reopening of the wedding industry. The industry can no longer wait in hope for reopening dates. We need firm clarity on when we can reopen and how that can be done. Livelihoods and marriages are counting on it.”

 

Colm Shannon, Chief Executive of Newry Chamber of Commerce said:

 

“Spring is also an important time for the wider supply chain market, supporting couples at this important stage in their lives.

 

“Jewellers have a key role to play and are excluded from the click and collect scheme at the moment. There are the many florists, fashion boutiques, hairdressers and men’s outfit shops who depend on the wedding business at this time of year.”

 

Colin Neill, Chief Executive of Hospitality Ulster said:

 

“Like the wider hospitality sector, wedding venues and vendors have been decimated by this pandemic and the lack of Government support. The constant cycle of lockdowns and restrictions have meant any real opportunity for business has been virtually non-existent. Wedding venues have also been hit hard by the lead-in time for wedding planning meaning that venues could not sustain when restrictions eased in the summer due to the amount of business already lost.”

 

“A person’s wedding day is one of the most important days of their life. The Northern Ireland wedding industry does a fantastic job catering to a couple’s dream day and ensuring every detail and aspect of their wedding is provided for.”

 

“We cannot wait any longer to begin our long-term planning for reopening and sustaining business. Cash reserves, loans and furlough can only go so far. Now is the time for businesses across the hospitality landscape to begin their reopen journey and build back from the past twelve months.”