Made in Australia

Introducing our workroom and how we make the gowns

At KAREN WILLIS HOLMES, all of our gowns are made right here in our Sydney studios, in Australia. We love our work environment and are proud to show you around our "old flourmill" workspace, introducing you to the Karen Willis Holmes team showing you how we design, cut and make our beautiful gowns, from one discipline to another. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Step 1

Welcome to our workroom in the Flourmill studios in Newtown, Sydney Australia.

Step 2

We are located on the top floor of the building (the penthouse we like to call it) in Unit 501.

Step 3

When you walk into our studio in the reception area there are the original fire doors from the old building structure. The whole building has been renovated with the original structures and features such as the mill wheels which have been kept in place and we love

Step 4

The gowns are all designed by Karen herself.
The process always starts with some inspiration!
This is an example of one of Karen's mood boards - a collection of images that reflect the colours and the general 'mood' she is feeling for her next collection.

Step 5

Karen then sketches a whole current theme of designs, just like this one.
She just draws and draws and when she has run out of ideas, she looks back over all of them to pick out the ones she loves most.

Step 6

Within our studio, in Unit 501, we have three levels.
The topmost level is our office and Karen's personal studio space.
Using some of the design sketches she drew as a guide, Karen plays around with fabrics. The best designs then get transferred onto paper and made into patterns.

Step 7

Here, we see Karen patternmaking some designs in her personal studio on the top floor.

Step 8

The finished patterns then go downstairs to the first floor of our studio, which is where our workroom is.

Step 9

The patterns are given to our cutter who lays them on the fabrics and cuts the pieces out ready for sewing. Each gown is cut and made individually.

Step 10

The pieces are then passed onto our machinists, who sew the base of the gown made up of the bodice and the skirt together.

Step 11

The base of the bodice goes to our drapers who then cut out the overlay fabric (which can be lace, silk etc) for the design.

Step 12

Pinning the bodice onto a mannequin, the overlay fabric is then draped, pinned and hand tacked onto place on the bodice.

Step 13

Once the drapers have finished, they hand the bodice back to the machinists. The machinists then sew the whole gown together, and press it beautifully.

Step 14

The workroom manager oversees everything to make sure the gown is perfect every step of the way.

Step 15

The finished gown!

Step 16

The gown is then photographed and added to our files on our computers. In our office upstairs, these pictures are used in our lookbooks, on our website, blog, and for media call outs. The girls in the office, along with Karen, also take care of our general enquiries, blog posts, orders etc.

Step 17

The beautifully finished sample gowns are then sent straight into the Karen Willis Holmes stores.
Our brides-to-be can then order a new one through the store if that is 'the' gown for their big day. We make all the gowns right here in our studio, with the same process as we would make a new gown design, but with even more care and attention!

Step 18

In the stores, our sales assistants help our brides-to-be choose a gown by trying on the sample gowns. They help style the entire look giving advice on accessories and veils. Fittings and alterations can also be made with us, all carried out by our in house fitters ensuring a perfect fit and a beautiful gown.

Step 19

The finished wedding gown is then worn by a gorgeous Karen Willis Holmes bride on her big day. The sample gowns can also be called in to different media photo shoots such as 'Sydney Weddings Magazine' resulting in some fabulous editorials.