Years before Emilia Wickstead's dresses became a favourite on the red carpet, she began her training alongside her mother – a bespoke womenswear designer in their native New Zealand. After graduating from London's Central Saint Martins in 2007, Wickstead moved to New York and gained experience working for some of the industry's biggest fashion houses. In 2011, she showed her first collection at London fashion week and quickly garnered a following for her modern, ladylike aesthetic. Worn by a diverse collective of stars – from Alexa Chung to the Duchess of Cambridge – the designer's elegant dresses and separates are recognisable for their sumptuous fabrics and sophisticated colour palette.