Amanda Jane Wakeley
OBE (born 15 September 1962) is a British fashion designer best known for her evening and cocktail dresses and accessories, and for her “clean glam” signature style,
has also developed a presence in daywear, including day-dresses, tailoring and knitwear and a line of accessories and jewellery. Sposa is the brand's bridal collection. Wakeley is an advocate for international organisation
Women for Women.
Early life
Wakeley is the daughter of
Sir John Wakeley, 2nd Baronet (1926–2012), a prominent surgeon and former chief inspector for the City of London Special Constabulary, and his wife June, a physiotherapist.
Wakeley grew up in Cheshire,
and was educated at
Cheltenham Ladies College
Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to pr ...
.
Career
Following a spell as a fashion model in New York in the 1980s, Wakeley launched her signature line in 1990, opening a small studio and boutique in
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area.
Chelsea histori ...
,
with a £20,000 loan from her father.
Patronage from
Princess Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
solidified her success. Since 2009, she has built her brand and business, with substantial financial investment from AGC Equity Partners, a
private equity
In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...
firm based in London, in 2012.
Stores
Wakeley's flagship store was located in
Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray was based here, and Oscar Wilde, a member of the Albemarle Club, where an insult he received ...
, Mayfair, London. Besides the UK, where Wakeley had concessions at
Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury f ...
throughout the country and at other leading retailers, the brand was available in more than 50 fashion and luxury retailers throughout Europe, America and the Middle East.
In September 2016, Wakeley launched an accessories brand on UK shopping channel QVC. The range, Monogram Collection, is mostly leather bags, with some smaller items such as purses and card holders.
The company went into administration in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Personal
Her first marriage was to "a much older investment banker".
Aged 26, she married Neil Gillon, an Australian-born property developer, but they split in 1998, and since 2005 she has been in a relationship with businessman Hugh Morrison, with whom she bought back her label for £1 million in 2009.
Wakeley was appointed an OBE in 2010 for her services to the fashion industry, and is also the winner of numerous awards, including three British Fashion Awards. Since 1996, she has co-chaired the committee for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer appeal leading the efforts to raise substantial funds to support the charity.
References
External links
Official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeley, Amanda
1962 births
Living people
Daughters of baronets
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
English fashion designers
People educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College
British women fashion designers