Derby dress designer found love of bridal wear by accident

　　WEDDING dresses were never in the plans for Derby designer Karen Jonga but having learned the art in making them, they're her favourite.

　　"Most of what I do is custom made and bespoke," she said.

　　"I make wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and occasion wear.

　　"My favourite dresses to design and make are wedding dresses, they're a lot of fun and you have a bigger timeframe to complete them.

Images:　marieprom

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　　"I was never going to do bridal, I wanted to do evening dresses but I went on work experience at the shop, House of Capulet which is in Babington Lane, and they taught me how to make wedding dresses and I loved it."

　　"At the moment, I'm working on eight bridesmaids dresses and a wedding dress, as well as my own collection."

　　Karen, 26, who owns and runs Karentino Designs, buys her fabrics wherever she goes, including holidays abroad.

　　"I always pick up fabric wherever I go. I recently went over to Zimbabwe and my case ended up full of fabric on the way back," she said.

　　"I buy the white satins and lace in rolls as I use them the most, but the rest, I just get here and there from all over the place, as and when I need them."

　　Karen loves her fabrics so much that her family and friends buy her fabrics as special gifts.

　　"I always get a little stack of fabric when it's my birthday, and at Christmas, I love it."

　　Karentino Designs is run from a studio based in Banks Mill Studios in Bridge Street, a "hub of creative businesses".

　　Karen rents a modern, exposed-brick space on the fourth floor, which is full of fabrics, sewing machines and rails of dresses.

　　"When I was at uni, all I wanted was my own space to work in, a studio with enough space to work comfortably – this is the dream", she said.

　　Karen, who moved to Coventry from Zimbabwe when she was 11, first came to Derby to study fashion and has stayed here ever since.

　　"I always thought I'd end up going back to Coventry because that was home, but I grew to like Derby once I was here.

　　"It's a little smaller, but there is everything you need here, I really like it."

　　Karen studied at the University of Derby and graduated with a BA honours degree in Fashion, and she takes her inspiration from designers as well as keeping an eye on current wedding dress trends.

　　"I am always looking at what people are wearing and take inspiration from that and from my favourite designers"

　　Karen is inspired by wedding brands such as Berta Bridal and Julie Vino.

　　"And I've always loved Valentino," she said.

　　The designer has had her dresses stocked in two shops since she started out, one in Derby and the other in Birmingham.

　　"I had dresses in Brides of Sadlergate, very briefly, and I also had my dresses in a shop in Birmingham – I didn't really think it was for me, I was selling more myself through the website, so I took them out," she said.

　　Karen's future plans involve expanding her business further and she wants to take her brand to more cities across the UK.

　　"At the moment, I have people coming to see me from Nottingham, Birmingham and from London, so I'd like to advertise more in those places and set up home visits so they don't have to come to me," she said.

　Read more: formal dresses