UKFT Rise Subscriber This Day Studio is a Hull-based atelier providing a wide range of bespoke bridal services including design, alterations and pattern cutting. Founded a year ago by Debby Huntley, This Day Studio focuses on circularity. It offers a new approach to bridalwear with its first collection announced to be released in 2023. Designed for the modern bride, the range features bridal pieces to be reworked and re-worn after the wedding day, stepping away from single use bridal wear. The studio also features ready-to-wear designed organically by Debby, using dead stock fabrics in the low season.

Read Debby’s feature with UKFT Rise below:

• Company launched in: 2022

• Company based in: Hull, East Yorkshire

• How many people are in your team? Just myself at the moment.

• My background is in… Clothing. I graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 2010 with 1^stClass HONS degree in Fashion Design with Manufacturing, Marketing & Promotions, interning at Paul Smith & Allice Temperley. I had my own indie Label L.2.Mae for a few years and won a place as one of the top 10 designers to watch at the Clothes Show Live/ASOS Market Place. I freelanced for a while as a pattern cutter, garment technician and designer whilst doing some art teaching at a school. Then I fell into the corporate clothing world of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) & corporate wear! I was the design lead on introducing womenswear PPE into the market within my team. I moved more into product and sustainability, where I still do some part-time work focusing on sustainability, only to support myself and the start-up life! Plus, I love everything about sustainability, learning how to design better and new fabric innovations. So, all my learnings I implement into my own business. 

• I decided to start my business because… I was missing my skills I was so good at. I’d fell out of love with it all a while back. Then I had my daughter, Covid came and the world stopped and I asked myself: do I not want to go and do what I’ve always wanted to do? I was building a very successful career within my sector and loved technical textiles and travelling – I love nothing more than visiting factories, they’re the soul of any brand! But I was raising a daughter, I was finding myself again after a few years of motherhood knocking it out of me. I happened to be asked to help out at local bridal boutique and that was it. I knew I missed fabric, working with bodies and that I shouldn’t sit on all these ideas anymore and go for it. Life is too short for what ifs, and covid taught us the world can stop in a day so just go for it!

• Something that really helped in getting my business off the ground is… Taking the leap, there’s no perfect timing, no way to be perfecting starting out. Being part of the UKFT rise text messaging (UKFT Rise WhatsApp Group) is so good! It’s such a support network, but also on the days where you think you should be a few steps ahead, or why am I juggling this, it’s a great place to chat and everyone is in the same boat! Also, a little start-up grant from the Covid fund from my local council helped me.

• One thing that’s going really well is… Getting bespoke brides in the studio and trusting me to work with them on their dress is the best. And having my space, people love it when they come in and see where things happen.

• An area of business I’d like to gain more knowledge of is… Wholesaling and exporting. I want to be packing my designs off overseas at some point and I don’t want to fall short when that day comes.

• A brand I find inspiring is… Alice Temperley. I’ve loved her forever! She does ready-to-wear & bridal, which is what I want to be fully known for eventually. She’s unique, stuck to her own values and never followed a trend. I hope to have a business that mirrors hers one day.

• Something happening in the industry that’s inspiring me right now is… The amount of change towards sustainability. When doing market research 12-18 months ago, no one was speaking about recycled fabrics, circular design or even throwing the word sustainability about. They are now, which is great, as everyone working with textiles needs to be working towards better practices that have a lesser impact on the environment and always supporting ethical practices and manufacturing.

• One thing I wish I’d known before launching is…the number of roles I’d be juggling as a start up! On top of family and work life, it’s hard but comfort gets you nowhere and it won’t always be like this.

• Success for me looks like… Earning a living doing what I love, surrounded by a team of people who love what they do and where they work. Allowing us all to have to enjoy life and work together whilst running a profitable business that supports British skills and manufacturing through creating pieces that have a low impact on the environment but a big impact on people’s lives. If I do need offshore production, then I’d pick Portugal to team sun, sea and sourcing together.

Discover This Day Studio:

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UKFT Rise is a free-to-join community of early-stage (under 3 years trading) fashion and textile businesses looking to build a network of supportive like-minded people. We also welcome anyone who is thinking of starting a fashion/textile company in the near future.

This Day Studio is a UKFT Rise Subscriber. Want to join the community? Click on the link below for more information:

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