Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic many people's plans have been shattered, and weddings have been hit particularly hard. However, this didn’t stop wedding shop owner, Gillian Million, from continuing to pursue her innovative ideas. I interviewed Million at the back of her enchanting shop in Teddington about her journey that began in 2000. "I made my own tiara for my wedding, and I enjoyed it and decided I was interested in getting into the wedding industry." Million then created a small collection and had the opportunity to show it to the luxury London department store, Liberty. They took the whole collection which, along with an article published in the Saturday Telegraph, kick started her business.
Much of Million’s business is based on face-to-face contact allowing her to make bespoke pieces that are personal to clients. One of Millions most memorable experiences was with a client who unfortunately had cancer and treatment had resulted in her losing her hair, but she wanted a head piece for her wedding. "We had to think outside the box and so I created an asymmetrical design that sat on her head with a decorative band, and this ended up being an absolute hit and virtually every person who came to see me ended up buying the asymmetrical labyrinth." This inspired Million to make more unique designs, successfully differentiating her business. An important innovation of Gillian's began twelve years ago when Million began selling ‘Pre-Loved, Once Worn’ wedding dresses. A well-known controversy around wedding dresses is their single use, meaning a high-priced gown can be hard to justify. This concept allows the garment’s price to be reduced so that designer brands are more affordable and accessible. Million wanted to offer the whole styling experience and sell wedding dresses but "couldn’t bear the thought of something just sitting in a box or in a wardrobe or underneath a bed and never being worn again." This launch was a tremendous success especially due to the current desire for sustainability and items with a story. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that many weddings were cancelled or much reduced, resulting in a decline in the wedding industry, but not for Gillian Million who remained busy: "We created the ‘Iconic Collection’ but I also did a lot of videos as people still had dresses that they weren't able to use anymore as they were initially getting married with one hundred people and suddenly they were getting married with five people in a garden so the dress they bought they were no longer able to use."
These were shown virtually to her many Instagram followers who could see the new stock. Million describes lockdown as "giving us a moment to stop in our tracks and really rethink what our next offering would be", which is something everyone can learn from.
Gillian Million demonstrates individuality has an enormous impact on success and thinking outside the box goes a long way. Her resourcefulness and enthusiasm allowed her to develop her business even during lockdown.
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