ry behind the founding of Bo & Luca and what inspired you to start your brand? Shannon Pittman: It’s hard to believe but bridal has come a long way in just over a decade. [When I started Bo & Luca], the industry was a little dated and sadly everyone was creating a very similar, very ‘traditionally bridal’ style of gown – the ball gown with layers upon layers of tulle and A-line with a corseted bust-line. There was nothing wrong with this style of dress; however, I had very fashionable and confident friends who wanted something a little more distinctive. Both my grandmother and mother had worked as a seamstress, and when I was young I would sit with my mother after school in the lingerie factory while she worked away on the machine. I was exposed to the textile world from a very young age. I didn’t know it back then, when I was 5 years old, but it would shape the rest of my life, and the desire to create something.  Living in Dubai at the age of 22 was a huge eye-opener for a young girl from a small town in New Zealand. I was exposed to an entirely new world of couture. In my spare time, I convinced an Indian tailor to let me come work in his studio and he opened my eyes to the world of hand embroidery and a historic skill called Tambour. I had only ever seen such beauty on TV when I was a young girl. I was then set on creating something unique and special for the clientele that I wanted to reach: the woman who was confident enough to wear something a little different, who believed in the longevity of pieces and was inspired to purchase keepsakes as heirlooms for future generations. IR: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in growing the business over the past 10 years, and how have you overcome them? SP: There have been many lessons over the last 10 years of running Bo & Luca. Because I’m a creative, business wasn’t always at the forefront of my mind. I feel that all creatives have this challenge and it’s something that you need to get your head around very quickly if you want to keep doing what you love. Being a bridal fashion house during the global pandemic when all weddings had come to a complete standstill was a tough one to navigate. At the time, our business model was wholesale and our business relied on our 48 global stockists.  We had a great team and setup, but in March 2020 we had no idea that those 48 stockists were going to close their doors and would have no idea of when their doors would reopen. It was the first time in my business that I felt completely helpless. My husband and I made the tough decision to sell our family home to keep the staff employed and keep the doors open. These are the things that no one sees on Instagram – the struggles and decisions entrepreneurs face.  I had just given birth to our little boy and it was a very unsettling time for us. But we got through that period somehow, [only] to be knocked back next by the war in Ukraine. We had started working with a great atelier in Ukraine a year earlier and business was starting to pick up again.  I remember waking up one morning and my production manager called in a panic to tell me that a large shipment of our bridal gowns, that had just been sent out to brides, had been destroyed in the crossfire of the war that had just broken out in Ukraine. I honestly didn’t know how to feel, we had just survived the Covid-19 pandemic and then this happened.  We had 11 urgent bridal orders and a few months’ leeway for the other orders.We also had to navigate the safety of our atelier in Ukraine and they were in and out of communication over four weeks. I couldn’t bear to panic and stress 60 brides/stockists and tell them that their gowns had gone missing. In a scenario like this, you have to make a decision quickly, you learn to live on the edge and, for me, it is all about trusting your instincts.  Do we relocate all of our work to another manufacturer in another country or do we stay on and support the atelier we had worked so hard to build a relationship with and carry on? We stayed on, and the Ukrainian team worked night and day, as they didn’t want to leave their homes and many of the seamstresses from the north relocated to our workshop.   We managed to have all of the gowns remade and sent out in time for all of our brides’ wedding dates. We are forever grateful for our Ukrainian team and thankful that they were all safe. We have created an amazing relationship with them.I feel that nothing can break us after that. IR: Your designs blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. How do you balance honouring tradition and embracing modernity in your collections? SP: We believe in paying homage to traditional craftsmanship while also infusing our designs with a contemporary flair. Here’s how we balance these two elements. Respect for tradition: We deeply respect the rich heritage of craftsmanship that has been passed down through generations. This reverence informs our design process, as we draw inspiration from traditional techniques, materials and cultural motifs. Innovation and experimentation: At the same time, we are not bound by tradition. We strive to push the boundaries of creativity by experimenting with new materials, silhouettes, and technologies. This spirit of innovation allows us to reinterpret traditional elements in fresh and unexpected ways. Collaboration with artisans: We work closely with skilled artisans and craftspeople who possess invaluable knowledge of traditional techniques. Through collaboration, we combine their expertise with our modern design sensibility to create pieces that are both timeless and contemporary. Attention to detail: Whether it’s hand embroidery, intricate weaving or delicate beading, we pay meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of our designs. This commitment ensures that our pieces exude quality and authenticity, regardless of their modern aesthetic. IR: Can you tell us more about the artisans with whom you work? SP: We have been working with the same families for the past 10 years. These men and women have worked with some of the most esteemed fashion houses in the industry and we couldn’t be any more grateful. Tambour is an age-old skill handed down through the generations of families. Some of our pieces can take up to 300 hours to embroider. It is an art form and one that is rarely, if ever, found in a world of fast fashion. IR: Can you speak to the newest collection, ‘The Gardener’s Journal’, and the story behind the collection? SP: Each season my team and I create a story and a mood for the season ahead. We are not driven by trends and we are free to create whatever we desire. As a creative, it’s a true gift to be able to create with no limitations, it sends you off on a journey. ‘The Gardener’s Journal’ is a story of a flower farmer’s gift of love to his wife. Tending to his flowers each day and, each morning, picking and foraging a beautiful array of flowers for his wife – each bouquet paying homage to a different flower, which we named the dresses after Jasmine, Iris, Zinnia, Poppy, etc. Each gown was created with a flower in mind and all the artwork for the pieces was carefully curated to embody that particular flower. It’s a tapestry of shredded silk yarn that has blossomed into 3D dandelions, woven chiffon turned into silk poppy flowers that are encased in pale silver glass beads, and an intricate hand-embroidered vine of jasmine. Bo & Luca is known for its love of embroidery and artisan details and this collection does not disappoint. IR: Can you briefly touch on Temple by Bo & Luca and the journey with this brand? SP: Temple is the sister brand of Bo & Luca, created to fill a need in the market during Covid-19. It’s the more commercial side of our business. It still has the same ethos and brand values as Bo & Luca but at a more attainable price point. We don’t use the hand beading that we use in Bo & Luca. Instead, we create our lace in different fabric mills around Europe and use different blends of crepe, chiffon and lace. It’s been a fun journey creating Temple by Bo & Luca. This brand caters to the bride who likes to have fun and also experiment. We offer gowns in different colourways so that the bride can customise her unique look. She can change the lining colour of the gown, wear sleeves or remove sleeves and play around with the fabrications. She is more price-conscious and a little more trend-focused. We love getting feedback from the brides and our retail partners and this gives us good insight into how we create the collections.  This is also a more inclusive range, as we use a lot of corsetry and shaping in these gowns and can go from an Australia size 6 to 24. IR: Collaboration seems to be a key aspect of your brand, from working with artisans to collaborating with other designers. How do these collaborations influence your creative vision and the final products? SP: We love to collaborate with our artisans and welcome feedback and critique from them. The teams we have worked with over the years have so much knowledge and we love to soak this up. They are skilled and trained artisans. This is their craft and we feel that this is what makes Bo & Luca so special. The pieces are influenced by true artists and this is where you will find beauty and worldly culture. IR: Sustainability and ethical practices are increasingly important in the fashion industry. How does Bo & Luca prioritise sustainability in its design and production processes? SP: All our pieces are made-to-order. We create for the customer and do not create large runs, which ensures there is no dead stock. All of our packaging, labelling and marketing material is created from recycled fabric waste. We work with a small family that uses cotton fabric waste and turns this into recycled paper materials. Not only is it more organic, but also it fits our brand so beautifully. IR: Bo & Luca now has a global presence, with stockists around the world. How do you ensure that your brand’s identity and values are communicated consistently across different cultures and markets?  SP: Over the years, we have been lucky enough to work with such wonderful retail partners all across the globe, mostly women who are doing what they love and have such passion for the industry. There is a clear approach to our brand and the way that it is seen within the industry and I feel that the retail partners that we work with understand this. They have approached us for the point of difference that we offer. We are having a big moment in Japan right now, we have eight retail partners in Japan currently. We love our Japanese bride; she is effortless and very sophisticated and loves quality, something that we are known for. IR: As a creative director, how do you stay inspired and motivated to continue pushing boundaries and exploring new ideas? SP: As a creative, I feel that everything around me is inspirational. It’s how I have always seen the world. I get so excited by so many things and I turn to look at my husband, who is in finance, and he hasn’t noticed anything. The clients help us keep pushing the boundaries, they fuel my desire to keep creating. IR: What advice would you give to aspiring designers and entrepreneurs who are looking to establish their fashion brand in today’s competitive industry? SP: Always be bold and be prepared to work harder than everyone else. It may seem like the biggest blessing to work for yourself, and it truly is, but you will work harder than on any job you have ever had. Stay true to your aesthetic as a designer; if you create what you love you can never go wrong. It’s when you start to listen to others’ opinions of what you should be doing and how you should be as a designer that you will start to fall.