Six Stories founder talks navigating growth and change in the bridalwear market

In a retail landscape defined by cautious spending and shifting consumer priorities, few UK apparel brands have managed to sustain the kind of drive seen at Six Stories. Founded by Lucy and Ross Menghini in Manchester, the bridal and occasionwear label has defied headwinds and continued to post strong growth since its launch in 2019.

For the current year, the company is projecting 15 million pounds in revenue, a five million pound uptick on the year prior. This progress reflects Six Stories’ continued evolution from a small, founder-led business into an internationally stocked label available through Selfridges, Asos, Next, Macy’s and Nordstrom.

Its growth comes amid significant change in the UK bridal and apparel landscape. Rising living costs, the prioritisation of value and the increasing appeal of sustainable consumption are reshaping the way consumers approach wedding and occasionwear. Recent data by Verified Market Reports suggests that 67 percent of UK brides now consider renting rather than buying, aligning with broader circular fashion trends.

Despite these shifts, Six Stories continues to focus on what founder Lucy Menghini calls the “emotionally premium" – a combination of service, quality and genuine connection with its audience. The added appointment of commercial director Richard Davies in October 2025 marks a new stage for the brand, as it seeks to balance creativity with scale. Its attention now is on balancing fast growth and brand intimacy, particularly in the wake of increased traction in North America.

In conversation with FashionUnited, founder Lucy Menghini discusses how Six Stories has maintained momentum in a challenging market, what it means to be a leader in an emotionally-charged category, and how the brand plans to evolve in response to shifting trends and global opportunities.

Since founding Six Stories in 2019, and growing rapidly since then, what has been the key to maintaining such strong momentum in a market that's facing wider retail headwinds?

We’ve grown by staying relentlessly close to our customer. Bridal is a uniquely emotional category, you don’t buy a dress, you buy a feeling. And while retail has been tough for many, I think we’ve stayed relevant because we lead with community, content and conversation, not just excellent product. We’ve built momentum by listening more than we broadcast, by reacting fast, and by doing things in a way that feels genuinely joyful not overly polished or brand-first. It’s scrappy, it’s intuitive, but it works for us and our customer absolutely loves us for it.

What lessons have you learned about leadership in a fast-growth, founder-led environment, especially within such an emotionally-charged category as weddings?

The biggest one? You can’t do everything. Founder-led businesses often blur boundaries and that’s critical to get yourself off the ground. It’s personal, emotional, high-stakes. But I’ve learned that clear leadership doesn’t mean being involved in every decision. It means protecting the emotional tone of the brand while empowering others to carry the mission forward. Especially in weddings, where emotions are high on both the customer and team side, I’ve had to learn how to lead with empathy without losing pace or clarity. It’s been a steep learning curve for sure!

With revenues projected to reach 15 million pounds in 2025, what growth drivers are currently delivering the most traction?

Bridesmaid dresses continue to lead — they now make up over 70 percent of our business. But what’s driving the traction is layered: growth in international markets, being stocked on huge retailers, organic social, returning customers, email flows that actually feel human, pair with a brand voice that customers genuinely connect with.

We’re also seeing big returns from our “Wedding Merch” range - it's a statement she wants to make, giftable and gives customers another reason to come back to us. We’ve leaned hard into real women/real bodies in all our creative, and giving the customer a seat at the design table and that trust pays off.

The appointment of Richard Davies marks a new chapter for the brand. How will his background in scaling founder-led brands influence the next phase of growth?

Richard joining was a pivotal moment. He brings deep experience from some of the UK’s most-loved founder-led brands, and his presence gives me the space to zoom out creatively while knowing the commercial engine is running. He’s incredibly values-led, which matters to me. He knows how to scale without diluting the magic. Together, we’re building the structures and systems that will allow us to go from fast-growth to long-term legacy.

Having partnered with global retailers already, how have you seen the expectations of your UK and international retail partners, as well as the demands of your customer base, evolve?

There’s a growing demand for emotional storytelling and sharper operations. Retail partners want speed, margin, and a clear point of difference - and we offer that by being deeply community-led and emotionally intelligent with our product. Our US customer is more trend-led and bolder in colour, while our UK bride often leans more timeless. But across the board, customers want relatability, trust and ease. They want to see real women, not just campaigns. And they want to feel like they’re part of something bigger than a purchase.

With the UK apparel sector navigating inflation and shifting consumer confidence, how are you adapting to this economic reality while maintaining premium positioning?

We’re staying premium by staying emotionally premium, not just in price. Value right now means quality, service, and feeling looked after. We’ve introduced better FAQs, more helpful size guidance, improved our returns process, and increased our stock availability so brides can actually shop with confidence. Our price point hasn’t dramatically shifted but our content, messaging, and community experience constantly evolves to meet customers where they are.

An increasing number of brides are also turning to offerings like rental when shopping. How is Six Stories engaging with this shift? Do you see the increase in 'circular bridalwear' as an opportunity in any way?

Absolutely. We’re already seeing some of our customers renting or reselling their dresses on platforms like Vinted. And we love that, our product really holds it value! It speaks to the quality of our product and the value brides see beyond the day. While we don’t currently have a rental model, we see circular bridal as an opportunity, not a threat. There’s more than one way to celebrate love, we want to support them all.

Where do you see the greatest potential for further expansion? North America, Europe, online, new categories, etc.?

North America is a huge opportunity. Bridesmaid culture is much bigger there, and we’re just getting started. We’ve already launched with Macy’s and Nordstrom, and the early signals are incredibly strong. We’re also planning more US-specific content, creator partnerships, and potentially fulfilment centres to speed up delivery. Beyond that, we’re looking at expanding Wedding Merch and launching more casual bridal wear.

What is next for Six Stories? Where do you see the brand heading in the next five years?

Our mission is to create joy in every corner of our customers world. That means growing into new categories, scaling the US, launching new tech to personalise the experience, and continuing to build with heart. The next five years are about deepening that emotional connection at scale, widen our product mix and do so much more in person. If we can stay close to our customer and keep joy at the centre we can speed up our rate of growth I am sure of that.

This interview was conducted in a written format.