Bellville Sassoon is a high end British fashion salon originally based on Pavilion Road,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

, London, now located at 18 Culford Gardens in

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History

Bellville Sassoon was founded in 1953 by Belinda Bellville, who retired in 1981. It became Bellville Sassoon by name in 1970 after David Sassoon, who had joined the company in 1958 and remained for some 50 years. The company is currently run by Irish fashion designer Lorcan Mullany. Bellville Sassoon actually has its origins in Belinda Bellville's grandmother, Cuckoo Leith, who ran a dress-shop in the 1920s. Belinda Bellville invited David Sassoon to join the firm in 1958. Due to Sassoon's Jewish roots, Belville Sassoon has become a notable Jewish fashion house, and according to Sassoon the salon has done "a tremendous amount for weddings and barmitzvahs, because Jewish women like to dress up for these occasions. They have been very big business for us over the years."

Late 20th century

Belville counts numerous socialites and the royal family as amongst its clientele and was the most prolific of

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 ...

's early designers. Bellville Sassoon designed her "Gonzaga dress", amongst numerous other items of clothing. Sassoon has said, "When she got engaged, her mother brought her in to us and asked us to make the going-away outfit." Aside from Diana, Bellville Sassoon has designed clothes for

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

, Princess Michael of Kent, the

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Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom ...

Ivana Trump Ivana Marie Trump (, ; February 20, 1949 – July 14, 2022) was a Czech-American businesswoman, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, author, and model. Ivana lived in Canada in the 1970s before relocating to the United States and m ...

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, Jada Collins and Melissa Brown and his designs have appeared on the covers of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' and ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

''.

21st century

In recent years, due to old age, Sassoon has increasingly given responsibility to Irish designer Lorcan Mullany in the running of the company. The firm won the Export Award in 2005.

References

External links

Fashion Model Directory articleFacebook page
{{Coord, 51.491979, -0.160898, type:landmark_region:GB-KEC, display=title Knightsbridge Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Clothing brands of the United Kingdom High fashion brands Luxury brands Clothing companies based in London Clothing companies established in 1953 1953 establishments in England Clothing companies of England Clothing retailers of England