Meet Nina Rose, The Wedding Dress and Lingerie Designer

We often place so much emphasis on the wedding dress that we forget about the importance of the role played by what’s underneath all the layers of chiffon and lace. Here, we talk to the luxury bridal designer behind the Nina Rose brand, Nina Griffith, about how to choose your wedding lingerie, what to pack for your honeymoon and how to feel confident in your underwear.

Tell us a bit about yourself and the Nina Rose brand?

I started working on Nina Rose when I was 18 and released my first collection when I was 21. I wanted to design chic, comfortable and high-quality dresses that people would actually wear. My lingerie & nightwear collection started as more of a personal pursuit as I wanted to design items for myself and through this, I realised the potential in Nina Rose and how I could make it into a brand. I’m also very passionate about sustainability within the fashion industry, and how, nowadays the market – particularly bridal wear and lingerie – is saturated with cheap and poorly made garments. I care about quality?and I want to prove that products don’t?have?to be produced this way and that paying for high-quality garments is worth it. Synthetic fabrics are dreadful for the environment and using natural fibres such as silk, cotton and linen is an easy way for fashion designers to tackle this.

How do you approach designing a bridal lingerie collection and where do you look to for inspiration?

Everything stems from what I would like to wear, what feels nice on my skin and what I would feel sexiest in. I started to design the slip dresses separately from the bridal gowns but as I began to design all the different styles, I realised that through colour and fabric choice, I could link them with the wedding dresses so that my collections made sense as a whole.

Do you have a signature style?

Simplicity and minimalism really inspire me as a designer.

What’s your favourite piece from your current lingerie collection? And why?

I have two. I absolutely love the Rosa style in blush – the silk is the softest you will ever touch and I love the lace detailing. But I wear the Lynx in Anthracite style the most as it’s so versatile – it can be worn as lingerie, nightwear and is also great as a dress worn over a t-shirt.

Rosa Slip, €168 at ninarose.co.uk

Lynx in Antracite, €110 at ninarose.co.uk

What advice would you give women on how to choose lingerie for their big day?

Choose something that fits well and is comfortable. In turn, you will feel sexy and confident and that will show.

What mistakes do women often make when it comes to choosing their wedding lingerie?

Not investing in quality garments. I think it’s great that there are really accessible and affordable garments on the market now, but I think when it comes to your wedding lingerie, you shouldn’t compromise on quality.

How important is fabric choice?

The most important part. Quality fabric will take the design to the next level.

What would you advise brides to pack for the honeymoon?

Slips are a perfect choice to take on your honeymoon. The Nina Rose Rosa dress is designed to be worn with a newlywed glow. Steer clear of anything too complicated to get into or out of – it may look great but it will ultimately ruin the moment.

Lastly, what’s the secret to feeling confident in your underwear?

Choose lingerie for yourself and not for anybody else. Choose something that you feel good in, that you like to see your body in and that makes you feel confident. It’s great to pick items that both you?and?your partner like but, ultimately, I believe confidence is the sexiest attribute you can have. You will look and feel one hundred times better in something that you’re happy in and love wearing (even if no-one else ever sees you in it!).

WORDS BY NIAMH CRAWFORD-WALKER