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Profile | The Emilia Wickstead woman? It is ‘every woman’ – founder of designer label on style, world domination and her wardrobe

  • New Zealand-born Emilia Wickstead talks to the Post about the very first Emilia Wickstead garment she designed, and how she gets inspired
  • She reveals what goes on in her creative process, and talks about branching out to more than just dresses, and how she balances work and her personal life

Reading Time:5 minutes
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Emilia Wickstead is the founder of her eponymous London-based fashion brand. She talks to the Post about her creative process. Photo: Emilia Wickstead

For those in the know, Emilia Wickstead is the woman to seek out for a great dress. But for those really in the know – and with a forgiving budget – she is also the one to look to for shoes, knits, separates, bridal fashion and homewares.

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Founded in 2008 by its eponymous New Zealand-born designer, the London-based brand has grown into a go-to for discerning brides and royalty, and has a 50-strong team.

But according to Wickstead, who started the business in her living room at the age of 23 with a portion of her now-husband’s work bonus, the way it was built was “very backwards”.

“It was backwards, but in the way fashion designers came to life in the old world,” she tells the Post, citing Dior, Chanel and Lanvin, with their made-to-order roots and salon shows.

“I was really intrigued by that business model, and the idea of growing with an education of who my customer was and would become.”

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The brand was profitable from the start, thanks to its made-to-measure model and quick word of mouth.

Downton Abbey actress Michelle Dockery in an outfit from Emilia Wickstead’s pre-autumn 2024 campaign. Photo: Emilia Wickstead
Downton Abbey actress Michelle Dockery in an outfit from Emilia Wickstead’s pre-autumn 2024 campaign. Photo: Emilia Wickstead
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