Meet Katie Yeung, founder and lead designer of Hera Couture
13 April 2023
By Fashion Quarterly
Since she launched Hera Couture in 2010, founder and lead designer Katie Yeung has followed in her couturier mother’s footsteps to build one of the country’s most swoon-worthy bridal brands.
Katie Yeung, founder and lead designer for Hera Couture. Photography by Coralee Stone.
For Katie Yeung, the experience of working with a bride to craft a dress for their special day is unparalleled. Having emigrated from Hong Kong to Aotearoa at a young age, the designer quickly learned the family trade of dressmaking before going on to establish her own bridal label, Hera Couture. Here, she tells how her love of designing began with her lifelong hero and will continue forever.
I began sewing with my mum at a very young age. She’s a brilliant couturier, my teacher and my idol, who has supported my passion ever since. Mum taught me everything about garment construction and professionalism; she’ll sew until two or three in the morning to make sure all due dates are met. She taught me not to cut corners, even though there are often clever ways to create a garment in less time, and showed me the importance of maintaining a high standard.
(Above, left) Hera Couture ‘Le Chic V2’ dress, POA. Jasmin Sparrow ‘Petala’ earrings, $550. YSL ‘Starburst’ necklace, $2990, from Love & Object at Faradays. (Above, right) Amber wears Hera Couture ‘Twilight’ gown and ‘Flume’ sleeves, POA. Jasmin Sparrow ‘Petala’ earrings, $550.
When we arrived in New Zealand in 1989, my mother opened her first small retail store that custom-made garments for men and women, especially curvier body shapes. We serviced those who seek something unique and understand a well-tailored garment. Over the years, we’ve drafted patterns on real bodies of all shapes and sizes, and work off those master blocks.
Being able to craft excellence without compromising quality or looking at costs for each raw material is something I value highly and do not take for granted. I believe bridal fashion and high-end luxury fashion are two industries in which we can achieve slow fashion. At Hera Couture, we keep conscious design with uncompromised high quality in mind, while providing luxury collections at prices that are affordable for the general public. Our pieces can be worn today or 15 years from now and still looks relevant and classy.
Amber wears Hera Couture ‘Savoy’ top and skirt, POA. Gloria ‘Black Swan’ scrunchie, $60. Ahlem ‘Rue de Sofia’ sunglasses, $780. Gianvito Rossi ‘Ynez’ heels, $2249, from Faradays.
I love fabrics, draping, designing, sewing and creating garments — my workroom is my happy place. I started with a small retail boutique specialising in high-street fashion and alterations, then moved into occasional wear, such as school ball gowns, race-day wear and bridesmaid dresses. I’ve worked six to seven days a week for the past 20 years and I’ve enjoyed it so much.
It’s an honour to create the most important dress in a woman’s life. I love being part of that journey with my brides. Styling and making clients happy and feel confident in my designs around the globe brings me a lot of joy — I could do it forever!
I’ve stayed in touch with many of the brides who’ve come in and connected with me. We chat about all sorts of things, from their husbands, families and pets, to their day-to-day stresses and work, and just simply joke around via text and phone calls.
(Above, left) Hera Couture ‘Steel’ top, ‘Curl’ culottes and ‘Alba’ sleeves, POA. Jasmin Sparrow ‘Dandelion’ earrings, $500. Meadowlark ‘Aphrodite’ ring, $18,499. (Above, centre) Hera Couture ‘Midnight’ gown and ‘Extravagant Mikado’ bow (worn around waist), POA. Gloria ‘Monica’ bow (worn on head), $90. Meadowlark ‘Love Dove’ earrings, $1599. La Tribe ‘Sloane’ boots, $499. (Above, right) Hera Couture ‘Le Belle V2’ gown, POA. Dawei Zhang hat, POA. Mi Piaci ‘Minka’ boots, $560.
At Hera Couture, we’re trend-inspired, but not trend-driven. We look at trends such as a contemporary take on a bustier, unique fabrications like embossed organza and glazed Mikado, and new technology like three-dimensional lace on tulle and silky satin, plus textured jacquards. I view fashion as a way to express who we are as people, our opinions about the world and the global views we stand for based on our experiences — hence we offer everything from traditional to super pared-back, minimalistic designs.
I like to think trends are informed by bridal designers like us. Examples include our Floating on Cloud 9 Statement Sleeves collection designed and launched in early 2021, our current micro-tucked silky satin fabric used on our gowns ‘Helix’, ‘Hailey’ and ‘Helena’, and the custom crushed satin gowns in our current Modern Debutante collection. [The latter is] quite unique to Hera Couture, but I believe it’ll slowly become a bridal trend.
Hera Couture ‘Yvette’ gown, POA. Gloria ‘Veil of Virtue’ headpiece, $60. YSL ‘Cosmic’ earrings, $2290, from Love & Object at Faradays.
Our inspiration to design something unique is 50% gut feeling and 50% based on what we see around us and is acceptable for our brides. We can’t be everything to everyone, so we like to focus on what we
do best: create modern silhouettes that last the test of time. Hera Couture pieces are designed to be treasured, passed down from generation to generation and lovingly re-worn.
