‘I Love Making Women Feel Glamorous'

Fashion designer Vesselina Pentcheva, 42, talks to Françoise Gallet about the great loves of her life: fashion and family, and how the devil’s in the detail...

- Françoise Gallet

Born in Bulgaria, Vesselina was only 16 when she presented her first fashion show in her hometown of Ruse. In 1993, at the age of 18, she immigrated to South Africa. A year later, she enrolled at the Gordon Flack Davidson Academy of Design, where she discovered an enduring love for couture. After graduating top of her class, she became the assistant designer to Marianne Fassler. In 2000, she launched her high-end design studio at her home in Parkhurst, and she now employs eight full-time staff. Vesselina is known for her ‘less is not more’ approach: her garments are dramatic, and boast intricate detail. Each night she purposefully switches to ‘family mode’ after locking her studio, and then winding her way to her upstairs residence. Vesselina lives with her husband, Rivak Bunce, 55, and she has two teenage daughters, Milla, 17, and Bella, 14, as well as a stepdaughter, 29-year-old Brittany.

I’ve had a long love affair with detail. It forms an important part of couture, and it came from watching both my maternal and paternal grandmothers put an extraordinary amount of careful attention into whatever they did – whether they were embroidering, crocheting, or even baking. Every birthday, the top of my cake looked like a wonderland! So, it’s no surprise that I adore detail. I’ll layer and texture, mix different types of lace or put painstaking care into beading or embroidery. That’s how I weave love into every garment that I make.