“Our dresses are for modern, individual brides”
Kirstie Taylor, 49, and shelley CarterBright, 49, both live in essex with their families. They run Kitty & Dulcie, an online wedding dress retailer.
the idea
We first met in 2005 when our children started school together and we clicked immediately. [Shelley was a beauty journalist, and kirstie was running a bridal tiaras and jewellery business]. After the 2008 recession hit, we had the idea to start an online wedding dress shop for brides on a budget. We have complementary skills – Shelley is organised, with computer skills and media contacts, while kirstie has the creative flair and bridal business background – so in 2011, we launched kitty & Dulcie, named after our grandmas, who shared a passion for dressmaking.
making it happen
We each made an initial investment of £6,000 and we promised we’d make our money back within four months – which we did. A web developer built our website while we researched factories in China that could manufacture the dresses. When it came to designing the garments we knew that not every bride wants a long, strapless gown. many of our dresses are short. Our brides are fashion-forward women who want something modern, with a vintage twist.
Breakthrough moment
After our website went live, nothing happened on the first day and then we went to london together for the night to celebrate the launch. just as we were clinking wine glasses, a sale came in! It was a brilliant moment because a lot of people thought it wouldn’t work. Some of our friends argued that every bride wants the experience of spending a day in a bridal shop, but we believed that not every bride wants that fuss.
SteepeSt learning curve
Dealing with Chinese factories was tricky at first. There’s a language barrier and cultural differences – we had to get used to working with their holidays, as they have a very long break in january when nothing happens.
Where We are noW
Being solely internet-based, we don’t have the overheads of other bridal companies, which means we can pass on those savings – all of our designs are below £396. When we design a new collection, we’ll look for inspiration in current and vintage magazines, on blogs and Instagram, then come back with a mood board. So often we’ll find we’ve sourced the same picture. We’re very in tune. We keep our stock in our spare bedrooms – we have very tolerant husbands who have learned to live around wedding dresses! The best bit is when brides send us pictures of themselves on their wedding day in their kitty &
Dulcie dress – it’s amazing to see our designs brought to life.