She has been designing couture dresses for almost 15 years and has just unveiled her biggest bridal collection yet. Kate Fearnley tells Lucy Richardson that she’s finally achieved the work-life balance she’s always dreamed of thanks to the biggest creation in her career so far - baby Bob.

The blond one-year-old who fits snugly on his mum’s hip is the perfect accessory for someone who’s spent many years making others look and feel their very best. And despite the constant demands of dealing with a baby, dress designer Kate Fearnley obviously has no plans to slow down, launching a spectacular new bridal range to run alongside her sought-after occasion wear and prom gowns.

The Northumbria University fashion graduate started her own design and manufacturing business in January 2002, attracting celebrity fans from including Girls Aloud, The Saturdays, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and the cast of Hollyoaks.

But life in the early days was tough. With little money to spare, Kate made everything herself, put it in the back of her car and took her stock around local shops in the region, selling what she could. She went on to open a workroom and boutique on Linthorpe Road, in Middlesbrough town centre, in the building that had once been her father’s record shop and her grandad’s photography studio before that.

In 1999, she won Ultimate Young Fashion Entrepreneur at The Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards, but success meant she was making more made-to-measure designs than ever and for years, she worked a gruelling seven days a week. Her flirty dresses in candy colours were stocked by retail giants Asos and Selfridges as well as 200 other retailers across the UK and Ireland, but the unpredictability of the wholesale industry prompted her to take back control and simplify operations by purely selling in-house. Now 40, she says that she has come full circle and is back doing what she loves most - designing beautiful clothes.

Her latest bridalwear incorporates classic pieces which are instantly recognisable as ‘Kate’, with a nod to the 1950s in asymmetric hemlines, bow details and keyhole backs. The dresses can be made to measure in a range of styles, lengths and colours. But there are also exciting new designs - a couture collection that begs to be touched, full of vintage-inspired beading and embroidery in blush, taupe and ivory tones. They are so exquisite that it’s tempting to tie the knot again.

The boutique itself has had a make-over, too. Instead of stepping inside a traditional bridal shop, which can sometimes feel clinical and austere, her version is relaxed with an eclectic personality - just like Kate.

“I’ve dipped my toes in the bridal market for a long time, but I wanted to move it on and do something more creative,” she says. “Now you can come in and choose something for a bride, the bridal party or a wedding guest from the classic collection that goes back five or ten years, or you can have something designed that’s completely new. With these pieces, we are showing exactly what we can do both technically and design-wise. Whether a bride chooses a dress that costs £250 or thousands, it will be made to measure so it’s exactly what she wants.”

Kate’s name is also well known in the burgeoning prom sector, and teenagers are treated to a similar bespoke service.

“Proms are massive,” says Kate. “We did 100 dresses this year, which was double the year before, and we’ve already taken bookings for 2017,” explains Kate, who lives in Yarm. She promises her young customers exclusivity on the biggest night of their lives by ensuring no two girls at the same school appears in the same dress. All orders are carefully logged in a secret file, which is kept hidden from prying eyes.

Kate says that since having Bob, she has had to be more organised, but her passion for running her own business is stronger than ever. “I one hundred per cent believe in what I’m doing. All the ups and downs have got me to the point I’m at now,” she says. “I went to college to do fashion and that’s exactly what I am, a fashion designer. It’s been a steep learning curve to get here, but I appreciate it now so much more.

“I used to work seven days a week and it was chaotic, but now I’ve had to take a step back and be more organised. When I come in here, I’m leaving Bob, so it has to be worth my while. What I love most is when a customer walks in who is maybe a bit wary and thinks the experience is going to be a bit intimidating, but when they leave they give me a hug and tell me they’ve really enjoyed it. That makes me proud.”

Kate Fearnley Boutique and Bridal, 224 Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3QW. T: 01642-227344; W: katefearnleyboutique.co.uk