Budding Bridgwater designer lands dream role (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Budding Bridgwater designer lands dream role

10:00am Wednesday 27th January 2010

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A Bridgwater art and design student is celebrating becoming the first ever apprentice of a nationally renowned wedding dress designer.

Lucy Coldicott, 19, a former Bridgwater College student, has started work at Sassi Holford’s studios in Taunton.

The budding designer, who lives in Wembdon, will be helping design and hand make the 1,750 wedding dresses the firm makes every year for customers all over the globe.

Lucy said she opted for an apprenticeship over university to avoid the trap of heavy student debts.

She said: “I’m in a fantastically creative place and I‘m earning money at the same time. I still can’t believe my luck.”

Sassi, who has made wedding dresses for royal bride Autumn Kelly who married Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, said she has been impressed with her young apprentice so far.

“We have the right girl and the right training course in place which has been specifically designed for us through Bridgwater College”, she said.

“We know if we want our business to thrive in this country we need to train for the future and everything seemed to slot into place.”

Graham Corner, apprenticeship team manager with Bridgwater College, added: “The course we have been running for Mulberry was mainly about manufacturing handbags so we needed to adapt it to suit bridalwear but that was no real problem.

“The real beauty of the apprenticeship is that it can be delivered entirely in the workplace with one of our assessors visiting the studio every six to eight weeks. It is work-based learning at its best.”

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