Inspiration Behind The juliet Collection

A word from Hayley Neil, our designer and founder…

“The roots of this collection go back a long way; I’ve had it in mind to design a Shakespeare-inspired collection for years. It never seemed quite the right time for the styles and details I had in mind until recently, when I finally felt ready for it and all my ideas started to form a cohesive collection. I’ve loved Shakespeare’s writing since I first came across it at school, going on to study him in my A Level English Literature classes, then using his plays as part of my final collection for my degree in costume design. I actually met my now-husband at school, where we connected over a shared adoration of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet – still a firm favourite of ours all these years later.

In this collection I’ve hidden many subtle nods to the clothing of Shakespeare’s time, fused with the minimal contemporary styles we’re known for. A sleeve echoing a Jacobean ruff here, a boned pointed-waist bodice reminiscent of Elizabethan court dress there. I love that we have these references to the source material, along with our usual signature RIR codes and fabrics, but that the pieces still seem so modern and fresh. For me, it's all about inspiration, narrative, and detail. I want people to be able to read a little story into each piece, which is why I like to provide as much info as possible about the ideas behind a collection and the provenance of each piece, the fabrics, and how they were made.

Alongside the influences from period dress, inspiration for my designs comes from far and wide, as always. My folders are full of things like vintage sewing patterns, snapshots of historical paintings taken in art galleries, outfits worn by PJ Harvey and Bjork in the 90s, films from my childhood which have made an indelible impression on me, and so on, and so on. Inspiration for the Juliet Collection came primarily from Shakespeare and Tudor dress, but there's also elements of all the above in there too.

We have introduced some delicious new fabrics this year; a beautiful sustainable brocade, for example, and a gorgeous organic silk-hemp blend. I’m so proud to be able to say that 94.6% of the fabrics used in our last two collections have sustainable certification, as we try unbelievably hard to source the most eco-friendly luxury fabrics available. I get so excited when I discover new fabrics to sculpt with. Along with these new fabrics we also have design elements which are new to our collections: dresses with dropped waists, and boned bodices (and lots of pieces with pockets!). I feel that we have really elevated our offering with this collection, expanding the choice available to our brides more than ever.

For more of a deep-dive into my design process and to hear about what goes on behind the scenes head to my blog post here, and to really immerse yourself into the vibe of the new designs check out the collection playlist below. We hope you love them!”

Love,

Hayley