With the demands of parenthood, you could class being a mum as a full-time profession. However, some women strike a difficult balance between being a mother and operating their own business.
One such entrepreneur is new mum Rosie Willett, founder of Rosie Willett Designs and a bespoke bridal headbands designer. Here, we catch up with Rosie as she explains more about her successful business:
#1 Tell us about Rosie Willett Designs — how did you get into designing wedding headpieces?
I studied Fashion Marketing at Northumbria University and during my time there, I began designing wedding headpieces and wedding hair combs. I met with a lady from a local bridal boutique who loved the designs, so she started taking orders from her brides for me. After gaining my degree, I decided to launch Rosie Willett Designs as a full-time business as I loved it too much to give it up.
#2 Is it difficult to keep your ideas fresh? What inspires your creations?
Designing bridal headbands is more than just a job for me—I’m always coming up with new designs. In fact, it’s actually more difficult to stop myself from designing! I sometimes just have to do a quick sketch and file it away until it’s time to release a new collection.
My inspiration largely comes from nature — I’m a bit of a flower fanatic. I look at the way leaves form along a stem and the delicacy of petals. I am also inspired by current wedding dress trends and I’m particularly interested in fabrics such as delicate lace and embroideries. The patterns in these fabrics can often inspire patterns and shapes in my bead work.
#3 Do you have a favourite headpiece?
My favourite headpiece has to be the Rosie wedding hair vine, which I designed for my own wedding — I’m biased, I know! The hair vine is secured at the back with a comb, with the ends crossing over at the side of the head. It’s an unusual design made in rose gold with silk, lace and mother of pearl flowers in shades of ivory, blush and coffee. Swarovski crystal adds delicate sparkle, along with freshwater pearl for a natural and bohemian look.
#4 How long does it take to make each of the headpieces?
The time spent on creating my headpieces varies from piece to piece, based on the level of detail they include. The most elaborate headpiece in the collection takes approximately 10 hours to make, as it contains 25 individually hand-stitched petals.
#5 What is the best part of your job?
I find creating bespoke headpieces very enjoyable, especially when you get to see the final design.
Of course, I also love to hear how happy my brides are with their headpieces and see photographs from their wedding days.
#6 If you could sum up your creations in three words, what would they be?
Exquisite, handmade, stylish.
