This interview comes at a really important time for not just our industry, but our world too. So many of us are attempting to just start life following the disruption from the pandemic, but it's critically important to any or all of our lives that people do so with extra effort designed to support our world and the environment.

Let’s learn more from Kate….

Kate, please introduce yourself to our readers and outline your company history?

I'm Kate Beaumont and I design making wedding dresses that are understated and delightful. I started the company after my very own wedding nine years back – that I'd made my very own bias-cut silk gown – and determined that wedding gowns could be whatever I wanted these phones to be and didn't need to follow the corseted top + poofy skirt combo that I'd only seen until then.

I worked from my home studio for four years after my young boy Rex was created, and when the company grew I moved it off my attic and right into a studio space inside a converted cutlery factory in central Sheffield. I can walk to operate every day after walking Rex to college, making me very lucky I realize!

Moving out meant I could expand my team and was no longer the only designer/cutter/seamstress/fitter/salesperson / tea-maker. The studio is split up into two halves – a workroom for my tiny team and me, along with a showroom for that frocks and also to run appointments in.

I have two other makers within the workroom beside me, the 3 of us are known as Kate or Katie, randomly, and another freelancer – Sarah – who allows us to out as required.

The other Kate does pattern work and reduces the fabric with aplomb, and Katie does an attractive job of sewing and finishing the dresses, along with Sarah, though she collects dresses to operate on in her own home rather than working within the studio. I design, run the appointments, perform the admin, result in the toiles, tack everything, and do other things that need doing.

Why are ethical/sustainable practices essential to you and your company?

As a little team who makes my way through the house, it's unthinkable to me that people wouldn't ethically run the company. I pay my staff fairly, treat them well, and that we work flexibly when needed, meaning they can fit in other facets of their lives around their activities as required.

They're very talented – and incredibly lovely – people and I can't imagine running things without their help now. We're all hugely devoted to what we do, and I know I can rely on these phones to go the extra mile.

The nature of the way we work means we're far taken off fast fashion – thank goodness! Everything here is designed to order, meaning there's no overproduction. We can order materials in small batches to minimize waste, and may often create designs to use any excess fabrics.

Hand-making accessories, as well as silk goggles, melt away more leftovers, and also the remainder we hand out to a local underwear designer/maker.

I often design a little collection of new gowns biannually and try to with an eye on what's come before, so the new pieces dovetail in nicely around the rails using the older styles. If a design still works, still sells and we can still source the types of materials, we often keep it around, only retiring styles whenever we need to. Running all appointments with brides personally means I can attempt to spot any gaps within the collection, and design to fill those gaps accordingly.

Coupled using the fact that my designs could be adapted and reworked almost endlessly – by changing necklines, sleeves, fabric combos, etc – this enables us to create a hugely versatile body of labor without creating newness for newness's sake.

And why must brides locate a designer who includes ethical and sustainable practices? Why is it good for these phones?

Ethics and sustainability are hugely vital that you consumers now, also it can sometimes be tough to navigate an ever more complex marketplace. I think it's super easy to become overwhelmed by the options, but don't forget all of us should become consciously attempting to make good decisions but acting imperfectly, than for just a few people to be setting it up right constantly. I'm sure there's a much better method of saying that, but hopefully, guess what happens I mean!

If you can choose a designer/maker whose principles and practices align with your personal then do – whether that's somebody that produces within the UK, is close to where you live, makes sustainable fabric choices, offers vegan options to silk, or appeals in another ethical way. Your wedding could be a wonderful chance to do things just like you want to, and making good choices about your suppliers has become a part of that.

Talk to us about the production of an outfit and all areas where you've ensured ethical and sustainable practices.

Is it difficult to include these practices in bridal production? Have you needed to alter the way you work to be sure you work to incorporate these practices into your company?

Everything is designed to order within our Sheffield studio. A bride's measurements are taken, along with a toile is made for her to test – we've recently altered the way we work to make those to the nearest standard dress size whenever possible so that they could be reused for fittings indefinitely. Once the toile fits well, we tweak the bride's pattern as required and eliminate her dress within the final fabric. This is then tacked together by hand on her to try on, and adjusted around the body to find the fit perfect.

We make use of a range of luxurious fabrics to produce our long sleeve wedding dresses – silks, laces, and tulles. Silk is really a natural fiber and we use suppliers who're audited to high environmental standards and may also offer options for silk for all those seeking a vegan alternative.

Some in our silks are GOTS organic certified, plus some are peace silks – a procedure where the silkworm larvae aren't harmed throughout the silk-making process. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, choices for both organic and peace silks tend to be more limited in finish and color than standard silks, so we often use a mixture of all production methods to find the variety we require.

This is surely an area we're continually seeking to improve options in while keeping our very good quality standards.

Laces are sourced from English and French suppliers. The English company is run through the eighth & ninth generation from the same family – that is pretty special – and also the French company continues to be certified as a Living Heritage Company.

In our packaging, we use recycled cardboard veil and accessory boxes, in addition to recycled acid-free tissue paper. Postcards, thanks cards, and envelopes are printed on recycled stock too.

We offset our workforce's carbon by paying monthly to plant trees through Ecology, make use of an ethical bank – Starling, recycle as much in our waste as we can, and try our best to become good people!

I hope sustainable and organic fabric production becomes standard across the whole industry, it could be confusing for consumers to know very well what the best choices are so it could be great if all of the options were high-quality ones.

As for bridal, I certainly hope so and I think it's already happening within some sections of the market. Some designers like and are already doing excellent achievements sustainably, while US labels like Reformation still impress.

Article produced at: https://www.feel times.co.uk/