British born Johanna Hehir (pronounced Hair) and her business partner, Paul O'Donoghue (a New Zealander) are the designers behind the label. They have been in business together for the last 20 years.
In May 1998 they opened their first UK store at 42 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, specialising in made to measure evening and bridal wear for 25 to 45yr old career women. The concept proved to be a resounding success and subsequently led to a move to larger premises in Chiltern Street, Marylebone in 2002.
Q: What is the secret of their success?
Despite the fact that the UK bridal market is now flooded with cheap, mass manufactured wedding dresses from the Far East, Johanna and Paul insist that there is still room for skilled British designers offering beautiful made to measure dresses, manufactured in the UK.
Their continued success is largely due to their no-nonsense approach and their constant focus on delivering outstanding customer service. This begins with the initial consultation and continues through to the final fitting. They concentrate on getting the basics right. Fantastic designs, great couture skills and that all important attention to detail.
As any woman who has experienced a designer wedding dress from Johanna Hehir will tell you, there is a world of difference in terms of quality, fit and finish between made to measure and a mass produced off the peg dress.
Brides should be warned! Price alone is no longer an indicator of quality. So many big name bridal designers are now producing out of China, that the price tag is no guarantee.
All brides wanting a made to measure dress should be asking the question, “Is this dress made in the UK or not”? Unfortunately even some top end bridal boutiques are now attempting to pass off altered dresses, (bought in standard sizes), as made to measure these days. NB: Made to order should not be confused with Made to measure. Most wedding dresses are made to order, but strictly speaking, only dresses made in the UK can be made to measure.
With the current quota problems associated with China, brides should seriously be asking themselves whether they are willing to risk spending £2000 plus on an off the peg dress when they could have a made to measure dress, (manufactured in the UK), for a similar price.
Johanna and Paul believe that although their dresses are relatively expensive (Prices start from £2000) every bride should experience the joy of having a dress individually made to fit her, at least once in her life.
Q: What are the designer’s individual roles?
Although Johanna is the main designer, they both work very closely together on all aspects of the creative process that involves manufacturing made to measure dresses.
Johanna is an extremely talented designer with over 20 years experience in the industry.
She has a reputation within the industry as a designer with that special talent for making her designs stand out from the crowd
In addition to having a very diverse collection of styles, Johanna also has that unusual ability to update classic styles in such a way, as to give them that touch of modernity that instantly appeals to contemporary brides.
Paul is re-known as a stylist for his “great eye” and his ability to find the right style to flatter each bride. In addition to managing their Marylebone boutique he also does most of the fittings for their made to measure service, to ensure that perfect fit and finish. He is a stickler for detail and insists on maintaining the high standards that goes with their reputation as one of London’s top bridal designers.
