Search

Get to know: Lydia Couture

Collections13-Feb-2024

As a couture dressmaker and designer, Lydia Renty of Lydia Couture has built her business through customer care and the pursuit of style in all her designs. We speak with her to discover the creative process and design trends in the latest collection.

Tell us the company’s history, how you started and how the brand has developed.

Lydia Renty, the lady behind the brand, is a stylish woman who loves fashion and truly appreciates the quality, beauty and creation of wedding gowns.
Lydia graduated as a professional dressmaker in 1999. She began working as a freelance dressmaker in West London in 2004 working from home. Her interest in bridalwear started in 2009, the year after Lydia moved from London to Somerset with her family when she began working from her home studio, designing and making gowns and dresses for customers in the surrounding area and advertising in the local press.
The Lydia Couture brand was born in 2011 when she launched the brand, and has been recognised as a brand of excellence ever since. Lydia has built her business from the start through care of her customers and the pursuit of style and elegance in all her designs.
She opened her first store in Bristol 2014 and started selling her own collection and attracted many brides, mother of the brides and bridesmaids who travelled from a distance to buy their dresses from her store.
In 2017 Lydia had to make the tough decision to close her store to allow her more time to focus on her designing and develop her business. By following this path, Lydia has been able to achieve a recognition as a couture designer in the bridal industry.

What is the brand’s proudest achievement?

My proudest achievement is being able to follow my strong passion and having the confidence to elevate my brand up to this stage. I always say to myself that if I can share the passion in me with others, then there is a mutual benefit in it. Seeing the joy I can give to others fuels my passion for this business and has taken it to a stage where I can say with confidence I am truly proud of it.

What inspired your latest collection, and how do you stay current with bridal fashion trends?

The inspiration behind the glamour with curves collection is the desire to provide a curvy bride with a dress that looks glamorous and feels comfortable. In my professional experience most curvy brides have concerns about wearing dresses without covering up. At Lydia Couture, we want to encourage brides to feel comfortable with their own physique and show it off to the world. To wear something that doesn’t have to comply with traditional fashion and is tailored more to the brides unique silhouette.

Can you describe the creative process, from initial concept through to final product?

When an idea for a potential dress comes to mind my first action is to create a quick sketch of it, to create a visual representation of the core concept.
Once the base idea has been sketched I will take my time to think carefully and try to visualise the finished product in my head before I even begin. I not only think about the dress but also the desires and wants of the potential bride that would be wearing it.
I will also take time before beginning production to carefully consider the fabrics and embellishments, as an artist may choose a medium in which to express a idea, to make sure the dress will comply with my sketch and matches the concept I have in my head
As a designer I often find my designs naturally shifting around during the process and while the finished product might look different from the original sketch, the outcome reflects the design I wanted to create when it first came to mind.

What design trends have emerged from the collection?

Using 3 dresses Francesca, Rose and Lauren as examples, whilst they are all unique designs, a trend that has emerged between all three of them would be the transparent bodices from the shoulder to the waist. This came as a result of wanting the dress to have a refreshing modern look, but at the same time all three dresses have a different skirt style so a bride has the option to choose their preference.

Why is Bridal Week so important to you?

Bridal Week is an incredible opportunity to bring to light the talent of designers, as well as connect smaller bridal stores with designers that could potentially supply to their boutique. It’s the perfect occasion to connect boutiques, designers and suppliers together at an event that clearly has a passion for the bridal industry.
For me, Bridal Week gives me the opportunity to showcase my new collections and meet with stores and other like-minded designers.