Susie Cave, former model and designer behind The Vampire’s Wife, has revealed her new appointment-only brand, Susie Cave Weddings & Funerals, exclusively to British Vogue. The Kensington shop will offer 25 made-to-order pieces in white and black, customizable for special occasions. The venture marks her return to fashion after the 2024 closure of her previous label.
Susie Cave introduced her latest project during a photoshoot at Eltham Palace, showcasing a black iridescent silk-velvet dress labeled Susie Cave Weddings & Funerals. The brand operates from an appointment-only shop in Kensington, focusing on embellished demi-couture in textures like 100 percent silk, silk-velvet, and organdy. Cave emphasized elevation without floral prints or patterns, prioritizing pieces that feel good to wear. The store, designed by Groves Natcheva, is set to open in May with made-in-Britain designs realized by six former staffers from The Vampire’s Wife. Cave has shared the 25 customizable pieces—featuring options like capes, trains, veils, and embellishments—only with friends Bella Freud and Florence Welch so far. Welch praised the designs, saying, “There’s something about Susie’s designs that make me feel so powerful, and yet always comfortable and totally myself. There really is a touch of magic in everything she does.” Bella Freud described Cave’s ability to personify romance through proportions that create allure. This follows the 2024 shuttering of The Vampire’s Wife, which Cave lost control of amid investor pressures and retail challenges. Her husband, Nick Cave, marveled at her creative process, noting she dreams her dresses and wakes up sketching ideas on scraps of paper. Cave views the new brand as small and personal, drawing from her resilience after personal tragedies.
