Dyslexia doesn't hold back Flintshire wedding dress designer

For anyone who has ever seen an episode of Say Yes To The Dress, you know it can be an minefield.

It's that one 'look' that will be like no other you've ever worn, even the shopping part is a unique, and hopefully special, experience.

A wedding gown from the Shane Moore Designs Venus Collection

Most brides will head to a bridal boutique, and, fingers crossed, it's here they will have their 'this is the one' moment.

These specialist shops are staffed by people who know the wedding industry inside out. Owners and managers will scour wedding shows for the must-have looks to stock for their brides-to-be, selecting a range of classic shapes and styles, as well as fresh silhouettes offering something new and different.

It's at these shows that a designer can make a name for themselves. And one such name is Shane Moore.

Hawarden-based designer Shane Moore.

From Hawarden, the 44-year-old designer is the creative mind at Shane Moore Designs and The Village Tailors, which he runs with partner Mark Rogers, 54. With Shane having taken over the tailors in 2004, Mark became involved around 2017.

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Shane's path to business success based in the picture postcard Flintshire village, isn't quite a rags to glad rags tale but it took plenty of effort, determination and talent.

Severely dyslexic Shane left school early at 15, not able to read and write. He said: "They'd dropped me down a couple of years to try and let me catch up but said I was nowhere near the academic age to sit my exams.

Mannequins of all shapes and sizes at Shane Moore Designs.

"I was told I couldn't continue in high school and I would have to look at further education until I reached an age where I didn't legally have to be in education.

"And that's how I really got into sewing and tailoring. I was brought up with it, my auntie had taught me how to sew from the age of seven.

"Every time I was sat down and asked what I wanted to do, I would say I just wanted to do sewing."

Mark Rogers and Shane Moore outside The Village Tailors in Hawarden.

Shane was told he would never get on a course without qualifications or the ability to read and write but asked if he could do a practical test.

They agreed to see him and he was told his work was better than that of most third or fourth year students. And so his steps into design began.

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Undertaking training in Llandudno with a team of tailors, dressmakers and pattern cutters, he studied fashion design and garment construction for three years. He followed this with an extra year to expand on the tailoring, which saw him spend six months on London's iconic Savile Row.

A wedding gown from the Shane Moore Designs Venus Collection

Shane, of course a fan of BBC gem The Great British Sewing Bee, explains design has been a natural progression and is one of only two passions in life (the second being his classic car). He adds with conviction: "I love my job. The entire aspect of it, the whole way through."

With menswear not quite fulfilling his creative craving, Shane worked for Wrexham bridal gown designer Shelagh M, who supplied dresses all across the UK. It's here that he developed his love for bridal.

He now creates his own collections, featuring eight to 10 gowns a year, all made by hand.

Tools of the trade.

Inspiration is a constant, organic process, and can come from trends, what celebrities are wearing, mood boards, and taking elements to form his own designs. And Shane loves the designing side, the research, sampling and fabric sourcing.

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The attention to detail doesn't stop at the intricacies of the gowns, and while green might not be a colour most think of for a wedding dress, it's a must for sustainability-conscious Shane.

He explains: "As a business we're very passionate about the eco-friendly view of it all. The way we make our dresses is along those lines.

Shane Moore at work.

"The fabrics we use are recycled polyesters and silks, our boxes are recycled card. We try and use recycled where we can.

"And made in-house, we can deliver in six to eight weeks."

Shane also sews into each dress a label featuring the Welsh flag and a tiny, carved wooden love spoon.

The love spoon and Welsh flag Shane Moore Designs label added to each wedding dress.

Mark, who looks after the sales side of things, said: "We're passionate about being Welsh and being a Welsh designer. It's a love story. It's hand crafted in Wales and made with love."

Events such as the huge and influential Bridal Week Harrogate, offer the perfect platform to showcase his work to boutiques. Those impressed by his designs can order gowns for their shops, and once a bride is smitten by a Shane Moore Designs gown, he sets about making it for their body, to fit perfectly. They currently supply boutiques all across the country.

The Shane Moore bridal brand launched in 2019, and the first collection was released under pandemic restrictions.

One of the gowns Shane Moore is working on.

Shane said: "The first two years were really, really hard because we were in the covid world, and nobody really wanted to buy in new dresses.

"But shops were having problems ordering in from their usual suppliers, and missing people's weddings. That's where we stepped in helping out."

Shane is rightly proud to have reached the stage he is at, against the odds, with a highlight being featured at the Harrogate fashion show, competing with the big players of the industry.

A wedding gown from the Shane Moore Designs Venus Collection

He believes the industry needs to embrace a more modern way of working, with faster delivery and interchangeable designs.

But there will always be room for something classic, reflected in the designer's celebrity styles he admires, with Shane citing Catherine, Princess of Wales and TV presenter Dermot O'Leary as two who carry off a look effortlessly.

Whether timeless and chic or unique and modern, Shane Moore Designs can make any bride feel special. And as more people discover Shane's style, more brides are saying 'I do' to a dress made in Wales.

• Shane Moore Designs and The Village Tailors can be found at Kentigern Stables, Rectory Lane, Hawarden.

For details on Shane Moore Designs stockists, visit: shanemooredesigns.co.uk