Brand Spotlight: The Vampire's Wife
In 1966, soon to be it-girl. Susie Bick was born in England to a diplomat father. Bick was a free-spirit and a creative, spending time on fashion and art, and at the age of 14 she ran away from her boarding school in New York. Then at 17, she was discovered by Steven Meisel, a fashion photographer known for frequently shooting Madonna.
Bick skyrocketed to success quickly after that, becoming one of London’s most well-known models of the 80’s and a fully-fledged it-girl. Over the next twenty years, Susie Bick participated in campaigns and shows for Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Versace, and Yves Saint Laurent, to name a few. She even worked with Vivienne Westwood for ten years.
Susie Bick in an ad for Versace, 1985.
Image Via
Susie Smoking, Susie Bick photographed by Yohji Yamamoto, 1988
Image Via
Over the course of her prolific modeling career, Bick was considered a muse for dozens of photographers, musicians, and artists. In 1999, she met her current husband, Nick Cave. The name should sound familiar to any rock music lovers— Nick Cave is the frontman of the widely-celebrated rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The two got married and had children quickly, and Susie Bick essentially left the public eye. That is, until 2014.
In 2014, Bick re-ignited her keen eye for fashion when she co-founded the brand The Vampire’s Wife. What originally started as a way to design dresses for herself and some friends has become an established name in the fashion industry after only six years. After seeing the success her dresses were having within her inner circles, Bick decided to expand the brand, adding a wider variety of clothing options and making it publicly accessible.
The Vampire’s Wife makes clothing that is, to put it mildly, beautiful. Feminine silhouettes and fabrics meet Victorian flair, dramatic sleeves and ruffles accentuate classic shapes, and gothic details transform simple pieces. The result is clothing that is both magical and delicate, traditional and timeless, ethereal and refined.
These qualities are clearly reflected by those who wear the pieces, which has included Florence Welch, Ruth Negga, Alexa Chung, Maggie Gyllenhall, Cate Blanchett, Kate Moss, and many, many more. A dress by the brand was even worn by Jodie Comer, playing Villanelle, on an episode of hit show Killing Eve, with the dress appropriately re-named “The Villanelle Dress.”
Though the clothing is spectacular, The Vampire’s Wife is clearly also a project of passion for Susie Bick as well as her husband. The two use the brand’s website to write blog posts, discuss poetry and art, and talk about their experiences. Bick has poured her artistic spirit into the brand, and it shows. In the words of Florence Welch discussing Bick, “It’s been so beautiful to see the muse become the maker”.
