BRAND PRESENTATION
INDEX
1
2
LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN
3
TALE OF THE CENTURY
5
AWARDED BEST BRIDALWEAR MANUFACTURER 2012
6
PASSIONATE ABOUT DESIGN
7
TWO COLLECTIONS ANNUALLY
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THE DESIGN PROCESS
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A MODERN-DAY FAIRYTALE
10
BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO
11
SUPPORTING OUR CUSTOMERS
12
ONLINE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
12
FTP SITE
13
CATCHING THE EYE OF FUTURE BRIDES
14
ON TOP OF THE TRENDS
15
ALWAYS OFFERING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SERVICE
16
WE CARE ABOUT EACH AND EVERY DRESS
16
EXTRA CHARGES
17
ELLIS COMES TO THE US
18
A STRONG, EXPERIENCED TEAM IN ALL DIVISIONS OF THE COMPANY
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HAPPY EVER AFTER...
LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN
Dear Ellis Partner, Thank you for placing your first order with us which we so appreciate. Ellis Bridals is the oldest bridal company in the world. We are this year celebrating our 100th year in business. We have just won the most coveted award for being best bridal company in the United Kingdom. We are based in London and have established ourselves throughout Europe as a dynamic fashion forward bridal company that dares to be that bit different. Starting in London in 1912 the company is still family owned and a family run business. Our relationship with you is considered by us to be a true partnership. We both very much need each other. In 100 years of business we have never let down a bride and are fully aware of the critical role played by our customer service team. We thank you once again for your order and the confidence that you have placed with us. We look forward to many successful years together and can assure you of our utmost support at all times. Barry Waterman FCA Chairman
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TALE OF THE CENTURY Founded back in 1912 by Ada Ellis with the belief that glamour, luxury and hand-craftsmanship was key when she designed and made her own wedding dress. During these 100 years From its East end London roots to multi award winning years and now to the present day, Ellis have continued to push the boundaries of British bridalwear, influencing brides and setting trends.
1910
Here is a small glimpse of our past ten decades showing how the brand has evolved up until the present day.
50s 40s
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30s
60s
70s
2000s
2011
90s 80s
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AWARDED BEST BRIDALWEAR MANUFACTURER 2012
The Bridal Buyer awards are always a fantastic event and this year was especially exciting for Ellis as we were the proud receiver of the ‘Best Bridal Manufacturer’ award! The evening was a big celebration of everyone in the industry’s efforts and got this very special year of ours off with a bang! ‘The award is an important event on the industry calendar, one that celebrates the best in this glorious business of ours’ says Susi Rogol the editor of Bridal Buyer . Applauded by Ellis’s long-standing and faithful stockists the award was accepted by creative director Regine Ellis, Barry Waterman and their dedicated team. ‘Ellis is a real family business, from designing, marketing to distribution we work so hard together and receiving this award in our 100th year is very touching for us’ states Regine.
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We would like to use this opportunity to extend a huge thank-you to all of you who have supported us over the years. This award would not have been possible without your sustained belief in the brand and unfaltering loyalty to our company. With your continued dedication we look forward to another 100 years in the business!
PASSIONATE ABOUT DESIGN “The most important thing to us is the bride, her gown and her wedding. A lot of expert hands, hearts and creativity are required to make a bridal gown. Everything we do from our in-house designs, the fabric we use to all that is elegant, beautiful and exclusive comes with a guarantee of exquisite attention to detail and excellent service. Our passion for excellence in style and service has taken us on a very exciting journey.” Regine Ellis, Managing Director
Ellis 2012 designs ©
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“Ellis combines great design and figure flattering construction, all at can’t believe it prices.” Miranda Eason, Editor, You & Your Wedding Magazine
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THE DESIGN PROCESS Each season is inspired by a different beginning. It could be a piece of lace, fabric, beading, an old picture, a movie, travelling, or a celebrity... the list is endless... however, the one thing that is always consistent is our customers. The design team speak with our customers, at the exhibitions and during shop visits to listen and ask questions about the existing collection and what they would like to see in the next. This helps give us a closer understanding of our bride and what she wants. We develop all our own beading in-house and with our factories, based in China. The design team in our factories are an extension of our UK team and both work closely together sourcing and developing new embroideries and beadwork to be incorporated in the new seasons designs. After the sketches are selected and sent to the factories for toiles to be created, the UK design team travel to China to work on every dress, spending numerous weeks perfecting the shaping, structure, lace, beading placements and finishing details to ensure the next collection is even more enchanting then the last.
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A MODERN-DAY FAIRYTALE The 2012 advertising campaign aims to provoke a brides fairytale vision of herself as a modern day bride in historical royal surrounding where she can be a princess for her day.
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BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO
The video is available on www.ellisbridals.co.uk under the page of Ad Campligns.
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SUPPORTING YOU... OUR CUSTOMER
Every customer receives a support pack with their new samples containing; A2 double-sided Showcard, 2012 Lookbook, Line sheet, price lists, fabric swatches.
Showcard
The CenTenary ColleCTion - 2012
Line Sheet (£)
Style Number :
11253
11255
11256
11257
11259
11260
Price :
£ 320.00
£ 320.00
£ 399.00
£ 340.00
£ 360.00
£ 380.00
Description :
Fishtail Dress
Slim A-Line Dress
Fishtail Dress
Full A-Line Dress
A-Line Dress
Ballgown Dress
Fabric :
Chiffon over Duchess Satin
Chiffon & Lace
Organza
Tulle & Lace
Luxe Taffeta
Organza
Colours :
Ivory
Ivory
Ivory Gold
Ivory White
Blush Gold Ivory White
Ivory
Swatchs
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Lookbook
Linesheet
2012 Collection Shop POS & selling support
ONLINE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
Our website and social media are main communication with the bride. Our popular blog, facebook and twitter is regularly updated.
“The promotional material has stepped up another gear this season, Ellis have produced timeless imagery yet again that captures every brides imagination.� Sandra, The Wedding Box
Website shows every dress
Social media ready
FTP SITE Download our latest images online!
How to use the FTP site: 1. login to www.ellisbridals.co.uk/access.html 2. Submit your online request form. 3. We will then email you a link to get access. WWW.ELLISBRIDALS.CO.UK/ACCESS.HTML
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CATCHING THE EYE OF FUTURE BRIDES (Selection of 2011 Press coverage)
Editors use Ellis gowns for their shoots
Editorials on the Ellis
brides promotion
Ellis dresses star in fashion LenimBrides acincidunt in 1970 and euisissis shoots ea feugiametue 1985 (below) volore mod dolorper ad tate tatie dolore ea faccumsan eummy nim
Left Tulle gown with embellished lace appliqué and taffeta detail (style 11286); right Embellished lace gown with duchess satin belt (style 11276)
Tale of the cenTury Celebrating 100 years in the industry in 2012, Ellis Bridals still leads the way with their beautiful designs As Ada Ellis walked down the aisle towards her soon-to-be husband Sam on a bright January day in 1910, all eyes were on her dress – a gorgeous hand-embellished cotton and lace gown she had lovingly created herself over the months running up to her wedding. Who would have known that over 100 years later Ada’s love of luxury fabrics and stylish eye for details would still be influencing countless brides’ dresses as they walked down the aisle on their big days? For in 1912, such was the demand for Ada’s designs that she opened her own studio in London’s East End, founding Ellis Bridals, which would go on to become the oldest bridal fashion house in the world.
DESIGNER HERITAGE The brand flourished and grew, despite two world wars, and Ada’s family grew too with four children: Lilly, Minnie, Harold and Sidney, who
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Ellis Bridals in Brides in 1966 and 1975 (left)
Designer vision
Regine Ellis, the managing director of Ellis Bridals, shares her fashion inspiration
eventually took the helm of the business when he return from fighting in the Second World War. As Brides magazine launched in 1955, Ellis led the way in the bridal world – success that was rewarded with Ellis Bridals’ first Brides cover in 1969 – a timeless lace gown with an ornate headpiece. In 1969 too, the Brides editor herself, Jean Toogood, chose Ellis for her own wedding, selecting a stunning pure satin dress trimmed with lilies of the valley.
TRENDSETTERS With the Royal weddings of Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson in 1981 and 1986, all eyes were on the bridal world and in turn Ellis Bridals as Sidney worked around the clock after both weddings to be the first designer to produce replicas of the Princesses’ wedding dresses – both instant sell outs. Ellis is now headed up by Regine Ellis and her husband Barry Waterman with James Ellis as the fourth generation now in the company. The bridal house has expanded both worldwide – it now has over 300 stockists – and to include the whole wedding party, the award-winning occasionwear collection John Charles and chic bridesmaids line Kelsey Rose launching in 1959 and 1998. Here’s to the next 100 years!
From top Taffeta gown with ruched twist detail skirt (style 11197); Chiffon gown with beaded lace appliqué (style 11255); Tulle gown with embellished duchess satin sash (style 11228)
Find out more
or to find your nearest stockist, visit ellisbridals.co.uk, kelseyrose.co.uk or johncharles.co.uk
What inspired you get into fashion design? As a young girl I loved creating dresses for my mum and four sisters. Joining Ellis over 20 years ago just fuelled my love of glamorous silhouettes and well-cut garments. Understanding what really flatters a woman to make them shine on their big day has been my inspiration ever since. What’s the inspiration for Ellis’ current collection? The ‘Centenary’ collection comes straight out of the Ellis history books. My team and I spent many long nights studying the gowns from our archives and piecing together our design history – a wealth of intricate embellishments, stunning silhouettes and luxury fabrics. We combined this historical aesthetic with our contemporary design
work to create a sumptuous collection that reflects our distinguished heritage. What is the signature Ellis dress? Our one-shoulder manipulated taffeta gown (style 11197) has become an Ellis classic. Perfectly blending the contemporary styling we are known for with a romantic silhouette, it is a timeless look that suits a range of brides’ shapes and wedding styles. Who is your bridal inspiration? Throughout my time working at Ellis, my inspiration has always been our founder Ada Ellis, who started the business 100 years ago. She kept the company going through two world wars, which is a remarkable achievement. The fact that Ellis has stayed within the family all these years, and we’re now part of the oldest bridal house in the world, makes me incredibly proud – and I look forward to many more years working with the Ellis brand.
1912
1941
1957
1961
1969
1974
1981
1984
1991
2012
The company is established by Ada Ellis
Ellis moves to Brighton during WW2
Ellis’ first catwalk show at its new west-end showroom
An Ellis Bridals dress makes its first Brides appearance
Ellis Bridals first Brides cover – a gorgeous lace gown
Ellis Bridals goes global, stocking first in Germany
Ellis is the first to produce a replica of Diana’s dress
Yasmin Le Bon stars in Ellis’ latest adverts
Melanie Sykes is the face of Ellis’ campaign
Ellis Bridals celebrate their centenary year!
ON TOP OF THE TRENDS (Selection of 2011 Press coverage)
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ALWAYS OFFERING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SERVICE
We are proud to have never let a bride down in over 99 years and believe our stockists are our partners. We feel privileged to work with hundreds of stocklists throughout the UK and Europe today.
“I have every confidence of a sale when showing an Ellis gown to our customers with the knowledge that if on some occasion there is a short lead time to the wedding, every effort will be made by their dedicated customer service team to ensure you can take that new order and the delivery of the gown will be on time and that our business gets that sale!” Allison, Allison Jayne Bridals Our customer service team are always on the end of the phone and visit shops regularly, keeping them up-to-date with the hottest sellers. Always showing them our support and discussing where we can improve next season to report back to the design team.
“I always get the impression they know who they are talking to when I call and there is a genuine will to help. We always put our customer first and we can honestly say that the Ellis customer service team do the same with us.” Laura, Bellissima Weddings 15
Customer Service Team; Andy, Betty (Manager with over 25 years experience at Ellis), Magda & Luke
WE CARE ABOUT EACH AND EVERY DRESS
All our dresses are sent laid-out flat on hangers directly to US office/ warehouse and then hung immediately
Delivery lead times are just 14 weeks from receipt of the order. We work hard to maintain our a strong relationship with our factories.
“Deliveries are always on time and the gowns come in pressed ready for the customer which is rare from manufacturers these days.” Jean, Jean Miller Bridal Salon
Dresses are stored hanging until the stockist requires delivery
Every dress is inspected and hand pressed by specialist
Free Shipping
The dresses are then sent boxed flat to ensure little or no steaming is required by the shop before hanging on their rails
EXTRA CHARGES USA
Larger Size
Sizes
4” Longer
4” Shorter
Rush Orders (8 Weeks)
Extra Fabric Per Metre
Delivery Charge
$120.00
UK 24-28
$50.00
No charge
*Not Available
**POA (Approx $30.00)
No charge
* Rush Orders - We will confirm this facility after experiencing 1 year of trading. All requests for rush orders during this year will be considered and whenever possible they will be confirmed. In the event of a rush order being accepted then for this year only there will be no charge. ** Extra Fabric - These will be single metre lengths only
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ELLIS COMES TO THE US
We are launching at the National Bridal Market Chicago. Sept 29-Oct 2. Ellis space is 1056
The design of the stand creates an enjoyable environment and buzz throughout the halls where customers can come to relax as well as buy.
“The team at Ellis are fantastic, nothing is too much trouble and they really are the friendliest, coolest brunch around. You never feel pressured or rushed around at Harrogate and the stand is always full of excitement.� Vicki, All About Eve Bridal Ltd
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A STRONG, EXPERIENCED TEAM IN ALL DIVISIONS OF THE COMPANY
The staff range from 19 years up to 65 years old, with the longest members of the team training the newest. We thrive on nurturing talent and regularly take new in-terns to ensure the future of Ellis and the industry will continue over the next 100 years.
25+ Years
3+ Years 50+ Years
4+ Years
6+ Years 20+ Years
5+ Years
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8+ Years
4+ Years
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16+ Years 12+ Years 18
HAPPY EVER AFTER... (Here are a few happy Ellis brides looking glamourous on their big day)
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Conde Nast Brides Magazine 1968 20