Ian West Studio

Disappointing wedding dress experience and unresolved deposit

I never expected to have to write a review like this about my wedding dress experience, but unfortunately, I feel it is important to share what happened. I first approached Ian West Studio in January to discuss my wedding dress design for my wedding in April that year. I explained that I would be in Mozambique until only a few weeks before my wedding and specifically asked whether he would be able to work within those constraints. I was assured that he could and that he would send me digitised versions of design options so that we could work through the process remotely. I paid an R8,000 deposit to get the process started. As the months progressed, communication became increasingly difficult, and I found myself having to follow up regularly because I was concerned about the lack of progress. Approximately one month before my wedding, I was sent an AI-generated version of the dress I had originally shown him, rather than the design development I had been expecting. Once I was back in South Africa, I made a significant effort to travel to Port Alfred for fittings. I attended six fittings, yet I was still being fitted in essentially the same toile, and there was very little visible progression towards the finished dress. At this point, the fabric had also not been properly sourced. The fabric was only purchased from a local fabric shop three days before our final discussion, despite our original discussions about sourcing beautiful fabrics from various places in South Africa and potentially Europe. With my wedding only days away, we understandably became very concerned and asked whether he was confident that the dress could be completed by the following Wednesday, when we would be driving through to the wedding venue. He told me that he felt it was best for us to part ways and said that he would contact me afterwards to discuss a partial refund. What I find particularly upsetting is what happened with the deposit afterwards. He subsequently told me that he could not refund the R8,000 because the money had already been spent on studio time and other costs. I requested a formal, itemised breakdown and supporting documentation showing exactly how my R8,000 had been allocated. Despite waiting and following up, I am still waiting for this documentation. This all happened two weeks before my wedding, leaving me without a wedding dress after months of planning, communication and fittings. Having to find an alternative dress so close to my wedding was an incredibly stressful and upsetting situation. I also want to mention that during our final fitting, the interaction became sufficiently confrontational that my sister and I felt very uncomfortable and unsafe. I initially chose not to post a review because I genuinely hoped that we could resolve the matter privately and amicably. Unfortunately, my attempts to communicate have since been unsuccessful, and my number, as well as my mother’s and mother-in-law’s numbers, have been blocked. I have tried to keep this review factual and fair because I believe people should be able to make an informed decision when entrusting someone with something as important as a wedding dress. My main concerns were the lack of communication and progression, the failure to meet the agreed timeline, the handling of my R8,000 deposit, the lack of a formal breakdown of the costs incurred, and ultimately being left without a wedding dress two weeks before my wedding.