MEET LAURA.
As designer and founder of Laura Fray Bespoke, Laura's relationship with a garment extends far beyond it's initial design. From first sketch and hand-drafted pattern through to cutting, construction and final finish, making is intrinsic to her design practice.
It is an understanding of clothes built over a career, how they are imagined, how they are constructed and, perhaps most importantly, how they make a woman feel.
HER STORY
After graduating with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Design from Manchester Metropolitan University, Laura later undertook postgraduate study in innovative pattern cutting at Central Saint Martins, London.
Her early career was spent designing for the commercial fashion industry, creating occasion wear and detail-led pieces for established British high-street brands. Drawing reference from high fashion and the catwalk, her role was to translate some of that creativity and theatre into clothes designed for a wider market.
But designing for a market was ultimately what led Laura towards designing for an individual.
The pace, volume and commercial restrictions of the industry left little room for the parts of design she valued most: consideration, experimentation, craftsmanship and connection with the woman who would eventually wear the piece.
Laura Fray Bespoke was founded in 2015 as an alternative to that way of working , slower, more personal and creatively free. A return to designing with intention, where each piece can begin with an idea rather than a commercial brief, and decisions can be made for one woman rather than a market.
BEYOND BRIDAL
With a wealth of fashion-industry experience and a lifelong absorption in the arts, Laura's ideas have never been confined by traditional notions of bridal.
Her work is informed & inspired by other creative disciplines — art, photography, music and the natural world. Illustration might become embroidery; florals translated through beadwork; references found in nature expressed through fluid drape, texture or proportion.
Each project presents a new opportunity for creativity and collaboration. There is no prescribed Laura Fray bride, and no predetermined aesthetic to fit into. Instead, design decisions are made with intention, reflection and the creative freedom that true bespoke allows.
THE WOMAN BEFORE THE DRESS
Laura gets to know the woman who will wear each of her designs. Not the market or the trends, but the individual — her style, her references, her history, her loves, her concerns and her vision.
Because experience in bespoke bridal isn't only experience in making beautiful gowns. It is experience in working with women.
The nuances of personality, contradictions in style, things a woman loves about herself and things she may feel less certain of — all are listened to and understood. Before pen is put to paper, there is conversation, trust and a genuine connection.
The result isn't simply a dress made to measure. It is a piece that feels inherently, unmistakably hers.
BESPOKE IS A JOURNEY
It is involved and detailed, considered and creative. And it should be fun!
