Catherine Walker & Co talk Princess Diana, wedding attire and modern royal dressing

For those who keep a keen eye on royal fashion Catherine Walker & Co needs no introduction.

Founded in 1977 by the late Catherine Walker and her husband Said Cyrus, the duos designs have shaped the royal family's wardrobe for decades.

It all started in the early 80s when Princess Diana was introduced to the label by Vogue House, and the small British couture brand quickly became synonymous with Princess Diana's style.

"It became very obvious to us at an early stage that we needed to look at what was quintessentially British and in particular what were the roots of modern royal dressing" explains Cyrus.

Walker and Cyrus were responsible for some of Princess Di's most iconic looks, including what is often referred to as the 'Elvis dress', which Diana wore in Hong Kong in 1989.

Cyrus jests the dress was in fact "not inspired by Elvis Presley", going on to explain that the dazzling co-ord made up of 20,000 hand embroidered pearls brought together two very important sartorial aspects which they often needed to introduce into their designs for the princess.

"One was the destination, as the princess was always very aware of the fact that wherever she went she needed to pay due respect to the traditions and cultures of the country she was visiting" and secondly, most importantly "wherever she went they wanted to see her as a British princess."

The designers also helped Diana with her style transition after her divorce, a change which saw her auction off her glamorous gowns for charity and opt for more business attire.

"During the 16 years that we knew Princess Diana her style changed according to the work she did," says Cyrus.

"In the beginning she dressed as an ambassador to the United Kingdom, towards the end of her life she’d carved out a respected role on the international stage through her humanitarian work, and of course she dressed accordingly."

Although Diana was the one who discovered Catherine Walker & Co, much like her other legacies the brand has now been passed down and embraced by the younger royal generation.

The Duchess of Cambridge continues to shine a spotlight on their classic styles, most recently stepping out on St Patrick's Day in a custom made bottle green coat, which she first debuted in Stockholm earlier this year.

Plus, with Meghan and Harry's wedding invites now in the mail, we're sure to see a few guests donning the label's occasionwear on May 19, 2018.

Carole Middleton chose to wear a Catherine Walker coat dress to both her daughters weddings, opting for a sky blue ensemble to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011 and an elegant pink number to Pippa Middleton's wedding in 2017.

“I favour coat dresses because they have a formality about them” Said explains before continuing that they help to elongate the body and are great for transitioning from day to night.

Their empowering silhouettes, ever evolving collections and small house feel mean Catherine & Co has developed a loyal following, not only with the royals but with women all over the world.

"Most wearers tell us it gives them confidence and that they can stand tall in a Catherine Walker piece" says Cyrus.

Explaining why expanding the business was never an option, Cyrus says "we want to return the love that our clients were giving us with the kind of attention that we could only give if we were on a one-to-one basis."

"As a consequence we have this beautiful atelier here in the centre of Chelsea where we have 30 lifestyle craftsmen and women and they’re all devoted to making beautiful individual clothes for individual people."

The overall mission is simple: “not to grow bigger, but to do better.”