With wedding fashion constantly evolving, more brides are looking for unique designs to stand out on their special day.
Suzanna Mohan came into the wedding business through pure passion and happy coincidence. She always had an interest in fashion, but it’s after designing a wedding dress for someone she knew, she saw a business opportunity and established Designs By S&S.
Since 2015, Suzanna has worked with brides on mid-to-high-end bridal gowns and accessories, with each design recognised for its vintage flair and modern details.
Designs By S&S flagship studio is located in the heart of Jumeirah Lake Towers, where Suzanna and her team of artisans create elegant and refined wedding gowns.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Mathematics.
What was your first job?
I actually started doing a lot of part-time jobs and modelling at the age of 15. After studying, my first job was in events.
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What inspired you to launch Designs By S&S?
Fashion is been a huge part of me and has been since a young age. My mother is a co-partner for the brand and was a huge inspiration with the way she dressed herself in her beautiful sarees. She also used to sew our beautiful dresses when we were very young.
I have also been tailoring and designing my own clothes from a young age. I moved to the US to do my Masters and then was working in New York. I went ahead and did a few part-time courses at the New York School Of Fashion and Design, only because of the passion I had. Love and marriage moved me back to Dubai and the idea of living closer to my parents. A friend of a friend came to me for help before her wedding day and that one wedding dress turned into numerous dresses for the same wedding. Soon my villa was converted into a mini-workshop and with the support of my dad and my husband, my mum and I set up S&S in March 2015.
What are the key elements of your role?
We do it all. From designing and sourcing fabrics, to making sure the production takes place. We are a homegrown brand and its super important for me to part of every step of dressmaking.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Definitely get yourself educated in this field and have a mentor. I have not had a formal education and haven’t had a mentor, which made things challenging. But we have learnt a lot running the business.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Having a good team in place is the most important thing for a business. Do not procrastinate and learn how to delegate.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
We have had a lot of challenges setting up the studio in JLT. We went through five studio spaces before they actually approved us. Of course, the current situation is the next big challenge, but like all things, this will pass and we will see our rainbow again.
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Images: Instagram, Unsplash
