Under the Veil Weddings
Roz Purcell’s wedding dress designer Sasha Donnellan shares what shaped the iconic design
The Irish designer on her career journey so far, what inspires her and working with Roz Purcell on her dreamy bridal look.
If you’ve been keeping up on the Irish fashion scene, chances are you’ve seen some of Sasha Donnellan‘s beautiful designs. After making a splash with her graduate collection at London Fashion Week last year, followed by her own show at Ireland Fashion Week in October, the 23-year-old designer and luxury fashion house founder is known for her designs rooted in storytelling and Irish heritage.
“My interest in fashion began through a love of art, history, and storytelling,” says Sasha. “I have always been fascinated by how clothing can communicate identity and culture, and fashion design became a way for me to combine my creative vision with research and craftsmanship, allowing me to tell stories through garments rather than words.”
While the brand is still in its early stages, having launched full-time in October, she says the experience of building it has been incredibly rewarding. “Every day brings something new, and I have truly fallen in love with the journey. I graduated from Esmod Paris in 2024, where I specialised in luxury womenswear, but I was born and raised in Ireland, and spent most of my childhood in Co Mayo. The brand is deeply rooted in Irish heritage and focuses on creating narrative-led ready-to-wear, bespoke occasion wear, and now bridal.”
And that momentum has continued to build, culminating most recently in the dress you’ve probably seen all over Instagram by now – presenter, author and influencer Roz Purcell’s Celtic-inspired wedding gown.
“I feel everything has evolved quite quickly,” says Sasha. “My work has definitely become more intricate since my graduate collection, partly because I’m constantly building new skills and pushing myself technically with each piece. I’m also a very curious person, so I tend to fall into deep research rabbit holes on all sorts of topics. I pick up new interests all the time, and they naturally feed into my design language.”
Here, we sit down with Sasha to talk about her latest designs, where she finds her inspiration and how she created the perfect look for Roz’s big day.
What inspired you to create your studio?
I always knew that I wanted to create my own brand one day, but I never expected it to happen so early in my career. After graduating from Paris at 21, I moved to London for an internship and eventually entered the world of photoshoot production. After completing several unpaid internships, I wanted to gain financial stability and industry experience, so I began working full-time in production. Despite the long hours and frequent overtime, I would often come home in the evening and sew to unwind.
I started sharing my work on Instagram, and what began as a creative outlet quickly started to be perceived as a brand. Around that time, I applied to the first Ireland Fashion Week. I already felt ambitious applying for the mixed designer showcase rather than the graduate show, so I was thrilled when I was selected. I immediately began creating four looks for the event. A few months later, I received a call offering me a solo runway show. The only catch was that I would need to present twenty looks. It was such a special opportunity that I said yes immediately. I invested all of my savings, every hour, and every ounce of energy into the collection, creating sixteen additional looks in just a matter of weeks.
That experience became the true beginning of the brand. I decided that if I was going to do this, I was going to commit fully. It was a huge risk, but it paid off, and today I am fortunate enough to spend every day building something I genuinely love.
What are the signature elements of your designs?
Definitely my use of silk. It’s a fabric I have always been drawn to because of its delicate and feminine qualities, and it appears throughout a lot of my work, from occasionwear to bridal. I also am known for using sustainable fabrics, whether that is 100% a natural fibre or sourced from deadstock.
I am also known for my embroidered Aran knit jumpers, especially the Claddagh and lamb designs. They have become some of my most popular pieces and have sold across Europe, the US, and even the Middle East. I love taking traditional Irish symbols and giving them a contemporary interpretation so people can wear them every day, no matter where they are, and feel like they have a piece of home with them.
I also enjoy working with contrasts. That might be lightweight chiffons layered under a structured utility gabardine, or soft creams paired with dark greys. I think those contrasts add depth to a piece and help tell the story behind a collection.
Irish heritage is a huge influence on my work and often appears through subtle references to traditional craft, textiles, and history. More recently, I have become interested in incorporating fine art references as well, which will be present in my next collection.
I’ve been particularly inspired by early Renaissance painters, the life and poetry of W.B. Yeats, Victorian corsetry, and movements like Cumann na mBan. The core themes of resilience, Irish culture, and art history are still very present in my inspirations, but I’m always finding new stories within those wider ideas, which keep the work evolving.
Being a woman and a designer in your early twenties is such an intense and exciting period of growth, and I love that I’m able to document these years through my collections.
Let’s talk about Roz’s dress!
Rozanna first reached out to me on Instagram after being recommended by a number of people within the Dublin fashion scene. She said she asked for an Irish designer who could make a high-quality bespoke piece made from luxury fabrics, and I am honoured that people thought of me! We exchanged numbers and had an initial call where I asked her to send over images of dresses she was drawn to and, more importantly, the specific details she liked within them.
From there, I created moodboards to better understand the visual direction she was naturally pulled towards. I then developed around 20 initial sketches exploring different silhouettes and interpretations of those references before refining everything down together to one final design.
Once the design was agreed, I made a prototype. In March, we had our first fitting, which took place at my home in Westport, County Mayo. It was the first time we met in person and it was a really special moment getting to know her properly and seeing the dress begin to come to life. After the fitting, I returned to London, where my studio assistant, Eimear Kennedy, and I spent around six weeks finishing the final piece. I then hand-delivered the dress to Rozanna, which was incredibly rewarding. Seeing something that started as a sketch in my head becoming my first bridal piece was quite emotional.
Making the dress
Under the Veil Weddings
The look is very Celtic with the fitted corset and draping – can you tell us more about that?
The design itself was inspired by Rozanna’s natural elegance, as well as the silky look of the drapings that are found on ancient Greek marble sculptures. I also knew she was having a countryside wedding, so I wanted to create something timeless that would feel at home in a rural Irish landscape.
In terms of materials, silk is central to my practice as well as the bridal industry, so that naturally guided the fabric selection. I sourced a range of 100% silks as well as a silk cotton blend and created a sample swatch card for her to choose from. In the end, we worked with around 16 metres of silk cotton and 100 per cent silk chiffon. The corset and under skirts were constructed in silk cotton for structure, while the draping veil and outer skirt layers were made from chiffon.
The chiffon was definitely the most delicate fabric I have ever worked with and it would not pass through a sewing machine, so everything had to be hand-sewn and finished. It was a slow, meticulous process and I definitely had many long days of hand sewing with Anthony Bourdain playing in the background. But it was completely worth it. The fabrics worked so beautifully together, and I am really proud of the final structure and the overall softness and quality of the piece.
Does this mean we’ll see a bridal collection in your future?
100%. For now, my immediate focus is to continue developing luxury ready-to-wear, while also including bridal closing looks within those collections. Alongside that, I am also taking on bespoke bridal commissions and occasion wear, which feels like a very natural extension of my work at this stage.
As the brand grows, I would love to develop a dedicated bridal line and eventually show at bridal weeks and industry events. I actually spoke as a wedding dress designer on a panel in London recently, which was my first time speaking in that context, and I have really enjoyed stepping into the bridal space.
I believe connecting with women through clothing is at the heart of what I do, and being trusted to create a wedding dress is always an honour. It is one of the most personal and meaningful garments you can make, and I feel very grateful to be part of that moment in someone’s life.
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