As a young girl, I watched my Mother, Patricia, design and make the outfits she would wear to special events with my Dad. She was inspired by the 1960’s fashions she saw being worn by celebrities, singers and actresses. She liked to dress her daughters in special designs she had worked on herself and spent many hours fitting and sewing. My Father, Tony, also had an eye for craftsmanship and design, working on the homes of the rich and famous.
A bag of hand-me-downs was an exciting day indeed! I was allowed to pair up the strangest combinations of almost too big skirts and tights, dresses with big flower designs and tasseled jackets. I had a love of fashion all my life and always had my own style!
In order to equip myself with the skills I needed, I took a course in fashion design and pattern cutting with the City & Guilds of London. Straight after graduating, I moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the USA where I launched a custom couture ladies' clothing company.
I have always loved designing wedding gowns. I have made dreams come true for hundreds of brides with a gown from my collection or custom-design. My designs are shown under my Sorbello Couture label and are available in the UK and the USA.
Since returning to live in the beautiful English countryside, I have created a collection of luxury hand-painted silk scarves. I base my designs on the flowers found in my Mother’s garden and am inspired by the surrounding farms, woods and trails. This collection is named Patricia Bee - a combination of my Mother’s name and a nod to the lovely wildlife and ecology of our native flora and fauna. Preserving our unique and precious world is hugely important to me. I am constantly trying to improve my own efforts to create beautiful things to wear using the most sustainable and recyclable materials and packaging. It is a work in progress. I hope my scarves are a reminder of how much beauty we have on this earth and how we need to protect what we have, which could so easily be lost.
Please contact me to find out more.