Friend donates 100 wedding dresses to charity shop

A man has donated 100 wedding dresses to charity in memory of his fashion designer friend.

Adrian Chapman, 56, gifted the new dresses to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) shop in Sidcup, south-east London, to commemorate the work of his business partner.

Steven Sin, a Malaysian fashion designer, spent a year designing each of the one-of-a-kind wedding dresses.

Mr Chapman said he hoped someone was "getting some enjoyment from them".

Mr Sin, who died after having a heart attack at the age of 54, had planned to launch his own fashion collection and enter the bridalwear market.

He died in 2022 before they could be sold.

The pair worked together in the fashion industry for more than 20 years, with Mr Chapman remembering him as "a larger-than-life character" who was "creative" and "flamboyant".

"He would have been very pleased that they've gone to a good cause and someone is getting some benefit and enjoyment from them," Mr Chapman said.

Most of the dresses, valued at between £700 and £1,500 each, were sold at a BHF wedding fair in Sidcup on 14 March.

Sally Todd, who manages the BHF shop in Sidcup, said she was "completely shocked" when she saw Mr Chapman's donation.

"They are completely one of a kind," she said.

"A handful of lucky brides found the dresses of their dreams but we still have lots of gorgeous dresses left.

"These are available at our Sidcup shop and all the money will go towards funding life-saving research."

Mr Chapman said the pair were involved in various businesses in the fashion industry, and had an accessories shop on the King's Road in Chelsea.

"We used to go to trade exhibitions around the world and we had showrooms in Los Angeles, Paris and Dublin," he said.

Mr Chapman added they had to close the stores in 2009 due to the financial crisis.

Afterwards, they then started manufacturing hair accessories for other retailers which led to them supplying bridal shops.

"It was a natural progression for him to launch a range of wedding dresses," he said.

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