BY day, Marie Neal-Smith and Rebecca Downes are fashion tutors at York College. At other times they are Smith & Downes, cutting a name for themselves as designers of wedding dresses and occasion wear.

Their work displays their passion for vintage, with many dresses modelled on styles from the 1950s. This love of the retro has led to another venture too: beautiful kimonos in a patchwork of fabrics, which have caught the eye of British company Liberty.

At the Smith & Downes studio at Buttercrambe, ten miles outside York near Stamford Bridge, Rebecca and Marie are studying a set of fabric swatches featuring Liberty fabrics. Each swatch contains three different prints, which Rebecca and Marie hope will be turned into their next range of kimonos.

The Liberty tie-in is an exciting development for their fledgling business, which launched last May.

“Once we have finalised the different fabric colourways we will make some sample kimonos for a photoshoot and then start promoting them,” said Rebecca.

The women – who both have young families – have already enjoyed national media exposure thanks to an appearance on ITV’s Daybreak about micro-entrepreneurs kick-starting the economic recovery.

At their bijou studio, mannequins guard the window, wearing some of their wedding dress designs.

On a rail, the women pull out a sample wedding dress. It’s in a deep cream with the silhouette of a horse printed around the hem in rust-brown.

The dress has already been snapped up by a client, and Marie said she came up with the idea to reflect Yorkshire’s connection with horses.

Rebecca and Marie are keen to build a brand that is both Yorkshire and British (hence the delight at the Liberty sideline).

They are collaborating with local artisans too: the embossed buttons for wedding dresses are made by Joanne Wakefield while Jo Bagshaw produces beautiful handmade belt buckles.

Marie adds: “We are tapping into the skill base in the region, wherever possible; outsourcing to local dressmakers, pattern cutters, milliners, jewellers and beaders where appropriate.”

The kimonos are manufactured in Leeds and sold online at smithanddownes.co.uk and through local retailers including Dutch Nurseries, Love To Eat and Image Gallery. They are 100 per cent cotton and cost £55 and come in two sizes. The Liberty range will cost around £65 each.

Their dressmaking business was launched to meet a desire for retro-style wedding gowns. “I noticed a gap in the market for Fifties-style dresses,” says Rebecca.

They offer an off-the-peg dress collection as well as a more expensive, bespoke service.

Their popular kimono range developed by chance, explained Marie, made with fabrics pillaged from a leftovers’ box stuffed with samples brought back from various travels over the years, including lots of saris from India.

The kimonos were originally made as gifts for friends and family, but they became increasingly popular with brides-to-be who were looking for something pretty to wear on the morning of their big day.

“The trend in wedding photography is that it starts at the beginning of the day from when the bride gets up,” explained Rebecca.

The kimonos have been quickly snapped up as gifts for bridesmaids and have also become popular as items to take on holiday or to wear at home.

Rebecca and Marie hope the new Liberty collection may lead them into the overseas market, where there is a huge appetite for British fashion brands.

Marie said: “The label will read: Liberty, Smith & Downes. Made in Yorkshire, England.”

Fashion doesn’t get classier than that.