Lexi DeRock: What sparked your interest in vintage fashions?
Jo Barnes: I have always adored anything vintage since I was a young girl. The fashions were charming and elegant and the ladies glamorous. I love the clothing and the beautiful jewellery of these eras so it is a dream come true to be able to have a business doing something I love and have such passion for.
LD: Do you have a favourite design of yours?
JB: I really couldn’t decide on one, my favourite designs would have to be Hepburn, Charlie, Frankie, Freida and Iris I love these ones and I also love Gardenia, Alvina, Harmony and Bette from the Red Carpet collection.
LD: What specifically draws you to designing pieces for brides?
JB: Fashions of the 1920s and 1930s are a big inspiration, my new collection is called “The Chandelier” collection inspired by the 1920s which I think will be one of my favourite collections to date!!! I can’t wait to launch this in April/May time. I also get ideas from the latest bridal collections trying to bring in these details to compliment the designs, I LOVE Claire Pettibone and she was my inspiration behind the latest honey collection because of the wonderful use of colour in her gowns.
LD: What has been the most challenging part of starting your own business and what is the greatest reward?
JB: It was hard staring up after creating my own bridal bouquet and headdress for my big day, I knew I had a flare for it and all my friends said I should set up in business, already an owner of a Payroll bureau which I had been running for 2 years and was still trying to build up I had a bit of spare time so I sold my brand new Mini cooper (I was very sad about this I had worked hard to get this beauty!!!) the profit I made from that which was only around £900-£1000 I invested in lots of vintage brooches, crystals and various other materials and signed up to do my first wedding fair and that’s basically all I had to set Jo Barnes up!! It was a real struggle and without the support of my wonderful hubby I could not have done it, but it paid off and Jo Barnes has become a well sought after name in the bridal industry not just in the UK but worldwide and winning the 2012 Wedding Industry award was just a dream come true, this really gave me the confidence to grow my business further which I am continuing to do.
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LD: If you had one tip for brides trying to choose a headpiece online what would your advice be?
JB: I would say always buy your dress first and then try and pick out detail from your gown and choose a headdress with that detailing in to compliment it. So if a bridal gown has pearls in it maybe have a few pearls in your headdress or ask for my advice hehe!!!
LD: When working on your Bespoke designs using peoples own heirlooms and pieces have you come across any interesting stories of where the pieces came from and what makes them special to the bride?
JB: I have created several headdresses and bouquets using the bride’s heirlooms and I love creating these special pieces. I have just created a bouquet incorporating the mother of the brides veil she wore on her big day, another headdress I made with a string of pearls belonging to the brides Grandmother who had passed away and for my friend I took her Mums 1970s bridal headdress apart and re worked it with vintage brooches. For my very own bouquet I added all my Nana’s brooches and my Granddad’s cufflinks which was very special to me as I felt that they were with me on my big day.
A big thanks to Jo for the interview!
Be sure to check out her site if you are looking for the extra something to complete your wedding look!
National Winner - Best Accessories - The 2012 Wedding Industry Awards
Regional Winner - Best Accessories - The 2013 Wedding Industry Awards
Finalist - Best Headdress Designer - The Bridal Buyer Awards 2012Jo Barnes Vintage Headdresses & Accessories29 Belmont RoadChandlers FordEastleighSO53 3EU07958166723www.jobarnesvintage.comFacebookTwitter
