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Solid marriage for business and fashionBritish designer gets backing of Saudi billionaire
 A dress from the Amanda Wakeley Sposa Collection. Her garments are known for their simple elegance. SPECIAL REPORT
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OTHER NEWSQUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England (CNN) -- British fashion designer Amanda Wakeley is happy to admit that business is not her biggest strength, which is why she says it makes sense for her to enter a financial partnership with a Saudi billionaire. Wakeley, known for her simple and elegant designs, now has the financial backing of Sheikh Walid Juffali's W. Investments, meaning she can focus on coming up with top notch designs. Juffali is best known for large-scale ventures, such as construction, manufacturing and insurance. But this acquisition was made for his daughter, Dina, and gives W. Investments an 80 percent share of the entire Amanda Wakeley business, which includes ready to wear lines and her bridal collection Amanda Wakeley Sposa Collection. Dina Juffali told CNN that Wakeley's business, already well known in the United Kingdom and accessible in other parts of the world, is ripe for expansion. "I just think she has such strong potential to grow, and it's just about getting her out there, having people realize who she is, what she does and really the beauty of her designs," she said. Kate Elliott, who works as a stylist in the UK, wore a Wakeley dress at her recent city ceremony wedding to husband Ian Millner. She told CNN she chose the British designer because Wakeley's style reflected the classic and no-fuss mood of her and Millner's big day. "I saw a picture and just loved her style. It was very, very slim-line, very floaty in comparison to the big meringues that you see out there, because I really wasn't one of those people," she said. "When you just look at things and you just instantly know that you like them -- that was it." Wakeley recently shot her latest collection of bridal gowns in Dubai, an expensive exercise made easier because of W. Investments' backing. "The whole feel for this (shoot) is weddings abroad so weddings on location, which I'm quite well known for in my wedding dresses," Wakeley told CNN. "I think I give a very modern approach to wedding dressing and I think that is sort of summed up by this shoot. I think a lot of brides are getting married on location -- fewer brides are getting married in churches. "And I think people now use it as a great excuse as a weekend party and they get married in these fantastic locations and I think my dresses allow them to do that." Despite the W. Investments stake her company, Wakeley is determined to remain hands on when it comes to her collections, but the backing of the Juffalis means she will have more time to invest in developing the brand. "I think to grow rapidly is absolutely fundamental, you need capital, you need investment. To grow off your own profits is a much slower build, and I think also as a designer you need a business back-up, the business acumen," Wakeley told CNN. "Rarely do you find both in one person and you can't do everything yourself. You are either a creative person or a business person, and the biggest and the strongest plans always have that dual team." 
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