About Lucy

"I want you to help me save the world, I can't do it all on my own".

Vivienne Westwood

Fashion has been my obsession since I was a little girl. I used to raid my Grandmother's bag of fabric scraps to make dolls just like she did. She made and sold dolls and soft toys for Save The Children, and when I visited her in Newcastle she would let me choose and keep my favourite of her most recent creations. I still own a beautiful Victorian rag doll with a turquoise velvet hat and matching frock coat. Her dress underneath the coat was made from exquisite ditsy Liberty print chiffon and she had chocolate coloured wool ringlets and the biggest embroidered blue eyes you'd ever seen. My grandmother's father was a tailor who ran a shop in Hull, before it was bombed during the Blitz in WWII. My Grandmother would tell me stories of him sitting cross legged on his cutting table in the back of the shop, marking out patterns for suits by hand. So I guess somewhere in my DNA this is where my story began.

In my early teens growing up in West London, I found my Dad's collection of ID and Face Magazines in the living room of my parent's house. One particular spread immediately caught my attention, as it featured a photoshoot of Vivienne Westwood's AW87-88 Harris Tweed Collection. 

The model Sarah Stockbridge wore her bleach hair in pin curls, a Harris tweed crown and the iconic Westwood corset and mini-crini. From that day on I was hooked, and I knew I wanted to become a Fashion Designer. 

Her Design genius, punk roots and unmatched draping and cutting of the most exquisite fabrics aside, Westwood's final quest was to push us to become more sustainably conscious and less wasteful consumers.

This a mission I want to passionately continue with Recycled Bridal Collective up-cycled Bridalwear. Westwood coined the phrase "Buy less, choose well, make it last."

I studied Art & Design at Central St Martins in London, and completed a BA in Fashion Design at Kingston University. After graduating my first job was Assistant Womenswear Designer at Kangol. I've worked for some of the most well know retailers on the High Street including French Connection, Next, M&S and F&F, and it was in these roles I really learned my trade. 

During my mid 30s I took a break from the Rag Trade in London and had my daughter Scarlett, moved to Sussex and set about building my own business making bespoke wedding dresses so I could spend more time with my little girl.

I created and sold my own bridal designs on Etsy, in the UK and worldwide. I taught myself how to sew intricate and delicate fabrics such as lace and silk, cut patterns and developed a bespoke range of styles based on vintage 1930s and 40s gowns in contemporary fabrics.

Despite working on my own range, I couldn't shake the images of mass produced clothing I'd witnessed being made firsthand whilst travelling overseas to factories that all of the High street clothing retailers and brands currently use.

The environmental toll of fast fashion. The sheer waste, particularly in bridal fashion—where gowns are often worn only once—was something I could no longer ignore. 

That’s why I founded Recycled Bride Collective. The mission is simple: to give single-use wedding gowns a second life, transforming them into modern, beautiful designs for brides around the world.
Sustainability and style can coexist, and through Recycled Bride Collective, I’m committed to making that a reality—one dress at a time.

I live and work in Hassocks, at the foot of the South Downs in West Sussex with my husband Tim and our children, and I'm never happier than walking from our house up Ditchling Beacon, or creating beautiful, sustainable Bridal-wear in my garden studio.

I still owe so much to my idol Vivienne, who continues to inspire me both in style and ethos and whose wise words are the mantra we should always consider before making our next clothing purchase;