About Wilden London
Charlotte Wilden is known for her intricate bespoke creations – ethereal, romantic wedding dresses worn by stylish, modern brides seeking something exciting and unique.
Charlotte’s bespoke dresses invite discovery – the closer you look, the more magic and beauty you find. From shimmering fabric encrusted with jewels to hand painted wedding dresses embroidered with vintage lace, these are fashion-forward gowns for women who want to exude laidback elegance and effortless glamour on their wedding day.
With more than ten years training and experience spanning the realms of costume design, high fashion and couture, Charlotte is an extraordinarily skilled dress designer. Her love of fashion history and traditional couture techniques borders on obsession, giving her the knowledge and imagination needed to bring any sartorial vision to life.
Meet the Designer
Hello, I’m Charlotte Wilden – dreamer, designer and founder of Wilden London.
My story starts at Wimbledon Art School where I studied Costume Design. I mastered many skills there, including creative pattern cutting and draping, corset-making, millinery, print and dye work, beading and embroidery. I also trained with some of fashion’s finest – Milliners Sean Barratt and Sylvia Fletcher of James Lock and Co, Kunza of Coco De Mer, and the embroiderers of Hand and Lock.
Following graduation, I was invited to join Stephen Hakes couture design team. I later worked for Marchesa in New York and Jenny Packham in London, creating custom gowns and exclusive evening wear for Hollywood stars and royalty.
Catherine, Princess of Wales
Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
Countess Debonaire Von Bismark
Heather Swann
Toni Terry
Claudine Palmer
Jamelia
Kate Winslet
Jaimie Pressly
Miley Cyrus
Victoria Derbyshire
Heidi Klum
In 2012, I left to focus on my own label. The Wilden London experience is a luxurious one, but it’s also welcoming, inclusive and down-to-earth. In many ways, I’m just a friendly girl who can make you a great wedding dress. But fashion design is my passion, couture is my craft, and I’ve spent years honing my skills. My extensive training and experience allow me to create anything your heart desires and I do so using the finest materials and techniques.
Away from the atelier, I spend most of my time with my daughter and our dog. We live between Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common, so you’ll often find us out walking, collecting wildflowers and feathers as we go. I print and dye fabric for fun using plant materials gathered in the wild or grown in my garden at home. I also take ballet and Irish dance classes, both of which inspire the sense of magic, movement and wonder often found in my work.
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A Note on Sustainability
Sustainable, eco-friendly and ethical clothing production has many facets. At Wilden London, our ethos is clear – Charlotte is committed to doing everything she can to limit, reduce and avoid the waste and exploitation that has become prevalent in the wider fashion industry.
Wedding dresses are often criticised for being ‘wear-once’ garments. While there may be some truth to this, their role in one of life’s biggest, most meaningful events surely distances them from the world of fast fashion and throwaway culture. However, it does not relieve those involved in their production of all responsibility.
Charlotte creates heirlooms she hopes will be kept and treasured for generations, never to be discarded. She does this in a thoughtful, intentional way and she’s always mindful of the environmental and ethical impact of her work.
The Bespoke Design Process
The exact process will look different for each bride who commissions a dress, dependent on life schedules - we are very flexible to suit your needs.
Generally, a minimum of 6 months is required - 8+ months is ideal. Faster turnaround is possible depending on current commitments.
As a rough guide, the process will be something like this:
Contact us! Tell us everything you know so far, logistical things like the date and location of your wedding, but most importantly - your ideas! We love to hear in as much detail as you can envision - fabrics, silhouette, embellishments, motifs.
A few emails back and forward, and book in a consultation on Facetime, phone or in-person. In person is preferred as we ask lots of questions to really search out the information needed to create a design that will be truly personal. In person, we can gauge your reactions to questions, fabric options and ideas and form a connection and understanding that goes beyond an email or sketch.
A sketch will be provided for discussion - Often this will be a working drawing, outlining ideas and direction. You will be asked for your honest feedback, and alterations to the sketch will be made if necessary.
A quote will be provided based on the sketch and fabrics discussed. The quote is often accurate, and will not alter unless a major alteration to the dress design is made - such as silhouette, additional details, different fabric choices.
A toile (mock-up) will be made in cotton - this is a rough version, and the first draft is to work on fit and proportion and will often look nothing like the final design.
A second version of the toile will start to bring the dress to life, depending on the design, an extra toile fitting may be required.
During the toile fittings we discuss and plan all the details, which may be beadwork, lace embroidery, fabric choices, and we plot out all the things that will make the dress perfectly suited to you - placement of embellishment, necklines, waistlines, sleeve volume, train length, accessories - so many details which make the dress the perfect couture wedding dress, designed just for you.The wedding dress will start to emerge, first in plain silk fabrics to check the fit again in the final stages - then we add the detail, overlays, finishings and fastenings.
Finial touches - necessary tweaks are made to the fit and placement before your dress is ready to collect.
On average you will need around 5 fittings to complete your dress and ensure that is will be perfect.