1. Tell us how long have you been in business and how did you get your start?

It all began in 1981 when a school friend was getting married but had no budget for her dress. I said I would design and make it for her, even though I hadn’t undertaken anything like that before. I certainly wasn’t expecting to pursue dressmaking professionally, but her wedding produced two commissions and the journey began.

2. Describe the Sassi Holford vision of the brand?

I want to encourage women to embrace their individuality and to project their personalities on

their wedding day. I love enhancing the female shape - brides want to walk up the aisle feeling their most confident and radiant, and the right dress can achieve that.

3. What is the atelier known for?

We are renowned for the cut and fit of our dresses using luxurious, innovative fabrics to create an effortless style that empowers confidence and makes our brides feel their most beautiful.

4. What is the inspiration for the new Fall 2023 bridal collection?

Let There Be Love is the reimagining of modern femininity, pairing innovative fabrics with confident, clean silhouettes. Sometimes it can be difficult to find joy during these challenging times but designing this collection has been my solace and escape. I wanted to capture the essence of femininity using light and texture as my guide - Guipure embroidered tulle, 3D satin organza flowers, feathers, and pearls are combined with micro jacquard, soft Mikado, and buttery silks to convey the romance of the collection.

5. Have you seen changes in what the bride chooses to wear over the years?

Silhouettes and designs move with the trends, but having been in business for over 40 years I am now reinventing trends that I started with.

6. Do you have an iconic silhouette?

A perfectly cut column gown – it shows the skill required to make it as well as the simple perfection it achieves.

7. Can you highlight some of the celebrities and Royalty that have worn your bridal or eveningwear?

I have been fortunate enough to design pieces for women across the globe including Autumn Phillips who chose a bespoke gown for her royal wedding, Dame Helen Mirren for Cannes and Venice film festivals, Katherine Jenkins, Dame Darcy Bussell, Princess Tamara Czartoryski, Marisha Wallace, and Shirley Ballas.

8. Tell us about your philosophy on being responsible and mindful of the environment.

For us, it’s not a trend, it’s a way of life, which flows through every aspect of the business. Now, more than ever, my love of creating beautiful bridal gowns has to be balanced with being mindful of the environment. Since the very beginning, over 40 years ago, I have made every gown in England. We all have a responsibility to ensure we are doing our best to reduce waste, lower our carbon footprint and minimize our impact on the planet. We create garments with a conscience meaning that every part of the journey, from designing to making the final piece, is carefully considered.

9. Who are some of the partnerships for recycling fabric?

One of the ways we are recycling and reusing our offcuts and waste is to partner with like-minded brands, charities and schools. We ensure we provide our left-over fabric and usable ‘waste’ not only to good causes but to the future generation of fashion designers whom I hope will ensure our responsibility ethos carries on for years to come. 

We partner with Phoebe English who uses our bridal fabric offcuts to produce fabrics that are then made into sustainable garments; Creating Tomorrow’s Forests who plant trees to offset our carbon emissions; Shop Lulu who receives our silk offcuts and transforms them into beautiful bridal accessories; and Inner Wheel whom we supply the highest quality silk to make comfort cushions for breast cancer patients at our local hospitals. 

We also supply colleges and schools with large fabric offcuts to be used by fashion students for their work. We also offer all fabric cardboard tubes and small fabric offcuts to local primary schools to be used for arts and crafts.

10. Tell us about nurturing young talent.

In a world where so many processes have been exported, I know that if we want to keep couture skills alive here in the UK, we need to pass on our knowledge to the next generation.

Every year we take on apprentices who work alongside my talented team learning the craft and embracing our ethos of responsibility to the environment. We also support fashion undergraduates and graduates with paid internships.