Emma’s September Update

I want to quote Lenin (in fact I am quoting Ben Cobb in Love Magazine quoting Lenin) “there are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.”

A pandemic, extreme weather caused by climate change and Black Lives Matter, with the Christmas gift of Brexit still to be received, 2020 has presented us with personal and professional challenges like never before. 2020 feels like a 1066 kind of number, one that a future generation will learn and have as their PIN number.

Since March I have had to prioritise the welfare of my team, my brides and my business community. I have had to act small, think big, make changes where I can, help, be positive and supportive.

From a business point of view, Miss Bush went into lockdown as a strong company, well supported by our banks, thriving and with deliverable products from our incredible supply chain Suzanne Neville, Jesus Peiro and Anna Kara. Contingency planning has become my new favourite pastime and I have learned more about myself and business than any Harvard MBA could have taught me. I think the wedding businesses still faces challenges but I hope what I have learned so far will make them surmountable.

At the chapel...

Leah, our Digital Marketing Manager, and I kept the home fires burning, vowing to win lockdown. Together we kept the Instagram alive, the clients in the loop and we quizzed, styled and shared as much as we could keeping Miss Bush front and centre of social feeds.

The Chapel team, (Gen, Corinne, Rosie and Jo) were all furloughed and were bought back gradually from June . The team is back at full strength, apart from Gen, who at 84 still could be classed as vulnerable, although she fiercely denies this.

Miss Bush brides have had constant access to me throughout, now have a private Facebook group and are being supported by Jo and Rosie who are rescheduling everyone’s lives.

The Industry

I have been supporting the wedding business community by playing an active part in lobbying my MP, taking part in the #whataboutweddings campaign( get involved here) have been on  BBC  News three times speaking up for our trade and our clients.

I have been supporting our local business community by founding a Ripley Business Association and Leah and I were very hands on in advising on its digital presence and Leah created the incredible branding and website. Please follow the Instagram account or sign up to the Ripley mailing list here to be first to hear all the news from our unique village.

Greenwashing is the phrase used to describe conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company's products are more environmentally sound. Fashion is a polluter but our Chapel-shaped corner where we create and supply one-off heirloom bridal dresses from trusted European sources is very far down the list of offenders. However this is not the case across our wider industry. I have dropped every single label that refused to give clarity about where their dresses were made and by who. All our designers are completely transparent about their production, their teams, pay their workers incredibly well for their genius and are innovation with recycled fabrics.

Read more of what I believe and follow here. I am boycotting companies that require minimum order quantities which results in excess unwanted stock entering the market.

There is much more work to be done but whether it is a tiny team initiative to recycle food waste at work or holding the industry to account, the team and I are making this part of our daily dialogue.

The Future

Finally, probably the most overdue, yet essential, step I am taking as a business is signing the team and I up to Nova Reid's Diversity in Business course. Yes, we turned our Instagram square black, yes I donated to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, I even took our backboard to Ripley High Street and had the #blacklivesmatter  hashtag writ large. 2020 has taught us new phrases, it is not enough to not be racist one needs to be anti-racist and for my business this needs to be in its DNA and that of the team.

I have no control over the Deal or No Deal gameshow that is Brexit. I have kept reasonably quiet on the politics surrounding it as I am not a card carrying member of any political party but I voted Remain. Fashion is European, our borderless trade with Spain and Poland is critical for our business.

I mentioned the likely import duty level to a bride recently and her friend chipped in that they could go to Barcelona to pick up the dress. Duty would still kick in and it is likely to be 15%...

Let’s hope for a positive outcome and writing to your MP does actually work!

Politics and culture aside, where does the wedding dress sit in this new world order?

By the size of the rush of brides waiting to get back to The Chapel in July it appears wedding dress shopping is still very high on everyone’s priority. There is no shortage of brides shopping for 21, 22 and 23! Could specialist, niche and independent retail save the High Street? I hope so…

My 2020 brides that have decided to change their plans have now given us beautiful examples of dresses that were designed for 3-figure crowds being seen by 30 people. Their style and love shines through as strongly as ever. It’s probably a trick of light but do they seem more remarkable for being so rare?

In with the new...

In the new 2021 Jesus Peiro collection I have an increasing selection if fashion forward pieces available for super quick delivery. The Jesus Peiro team give Net a Porter a run for their money in the style stakes, particularly at that point in the Venn diagram where pure fashion and pure bridal collide.  Their customer service is unbeatable, try buying anything from the online big hitters made- to-measure or in any size above a 14!

I have Anna Kara’s new dresses en route. The stellar Polish brand have shown that their dresses are so versatile they can be thrown in your hand luggage at a moment’s notice when Boris says so  or styled up for a bigger crowd when the Universe says so.

And national treasure Suzanne Neville… too showy for a smaller wedding? I didn’t think so; I wore a Neville in front of 20 and loved it. Our choices from the new Neville collection are smart, structured and understated with that unique sculpture and alchemy she is rightly famous for.

Never has the 60s feminist phrase “the personal is political” seemed so relevant. It doesn’t really seem very ‘weddingy’ to discuss political and cultural matters in a bridal shop's newsletter but given that weddings and the wedding trade have been largely overlooked by national government it does take grass root support and micro actions to make a difference.

Finally, one of our Miss Bush brides Jess has had a much more challenging lock down than most. If you haven’t already supported her fundraising initiative or read about her diagnosis here is the link!

Images by Solstock for Getty Images, February 2020