Inspiration Behind The SINNERS Collection

A word from Hayley Neil, our designer and founder…

‘All my life I’ve been an art lover, and when I began this collection, I kept returning to the work of Constantin Brancusi, who created stunning modernist sculptures that simplify and distil his subjects to their purest essence. That sense of refinement and restraint is something I try to carry into my own designs; I’m always trying to achieve elevated simplicity with my cut and construction, which is actually a lot more difficult than you might think! It’s usually the most deceptively simple designs that take the most time to perfect. Around the same time, I came across Nan Goldin’s photographs pairing modern lovers with classical sculpture; beautiful, intimate, and sexy. That contrast felt entirely right for the Rolling In Roses vibe, and I’ve named the collection ‘Sinners’ with reference to these slightly subversive images.

The designs are deliberately eclectic, designed for different brides, bodies and celebrations, while staying true to our signature design codes: thoughtful detail, quiet confidence and authentic style. As the world, and social media in particular, becomes noisier and noisier, I love the idea of being slightly anti-algorithm, championing personal style over categorised trends, and as always, we want to dress as many different and diverse brides as possible, never confining our brand to a specific ‘type’ of woman or wedding.

As always, I drew inspiration from myriad different sources: the romance and rebellion of 90s McQueen, the femininity of 80s Oscar de la Renta, and the sculptural precision of Charles James’ groundbreaking pattern cutting from the 40s and 50s. Along with these there are influences from historical Victorian bustle skirts and traditional sprung-boned corsetry, all thrown in with our usual fluid bias-cut dressmaking and asymmetrical lines.

Comfort, movement and feeling have always been just as important as form when I’m designing. These are pieces designed for wild dancing and joy-filled nights of sin.

My heart is also full with pride that 97.5% of the fabrics used are sustainably certified; beautiful botanic fibres, kind to our brides’ bodies and also to the earth. We use organic, recycled, chemical-free, fully compostable materials that are as gentle as possible to the environment whilst still looking and feeling incredible. We hope that the knowledge of these fabrics helps our brides to fall ever more deeply in love with their dresses and create an even deeper meaningful and joyous experience on their wedding day. ‘