Hera Couture founder and designer, Katie Yeung. Photo / Supplied
Hera Couture founder and designer, Katie Yeung. Photo / Supplied
Getting her start as a student with a master couturier (her mum), Katie Yeung’s Hera Couture has taken Kiwi bridal wear around the world. She says her timeless, sustainable designs have taken years of crafting and expertise to perfect, even landing Hera Couture on the pages of British Vogue.
Whatdoes Hera Couture do?
We produce bridal wear on an on-order, on-demand, as-needed basis using the highest quality of fabrics and workmanship, and never compromise on that.
I like our gowns to continue to be passed on to [other] generations, sold, reused and reworn, still looking beautiful every single time after master dry-cleaning.
We design for the timeless modern bride of all shapes and sizes and when I see a gown designed 10 years ago being worn by a bride today, it makes me happy and brings a tremendous amount of joy.
What was the motivation for starting the business?
Dressing women of all shapes and sizes for one of their most special moments in their lifetime.
I love to instil confidence through our designs, gorgeous cuts, experience of craftsmanship and excellent service to elevate one’s wedding look, which they usually would not get elsewhere.
My background has always been a love for design, sewing, fabrics and fashion since I was 8.
I studied at the University of Auckland as a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Property graduate.
My mum was a teacher and also a couturier. She learned how to tailor and pattern-make, and she was really good at her craft.
My mum decided she would buy an overlocker and a sewing machine, set it up in a rental, and start creating clothes for clients. I was just helping her in the back, I couldn’t even reach the bottom pedal of the sewing machine.
Somehow, I managed to sew on an industrial sewing machine and I was helping my mum with overlocking. We were getting whatever orders we could get. We had our first store in Onehunga, then Sandringham, and Grey Lynn.
We started to custom-make and sell at flea markets - anything you could think of to push our product out.
I started off designing high street fashion and custom pieces of event-wear for clients, and ultimately saved sufficient funds to travel the world sourcing luxurious fabrics and getting together an excellent team of ateliers for Hera Couture.
What is the main challenge you are facing?
Time. There never seems to be enough time to complete and achieve my goals fast enough but I’m enjoying every moment of it.
Another constant challenge, which is probably the same as every industry, is finding great talent to scale the business at a certain point in time.
What advice do you give to others thinking about starting their own business?
Learn the trade, work with someone you aspire to, find a mentor to guide you through some of the challenges you might face, and be humble to learn.
Be diligent, hard work and resilience is the key - bring your best to every day or don’t bother.
Work for free to learn from the best if you have to - it is invaluable. Cut all bad habits and expenditures you don’t really need.
A custom design at Hera Couture's Auckland showroom. Photo / Supplied
What is your biggest achievement in business so far?
We can truly call ourselves an international business with systems in place and amazing people working with us to achieve what we set out to do - which is to provide value.
We provide value to our brides, to our home and global stockists and provide value to every team member that works with us at Hera Couture. Another achievement I’m personally quite proud of is being able to help others, and provide my two cents of advice to those who seek and want to succeed.
Where do you see the business in the future?
A much larger global business founded in New Zealand, sharing our creations to the world of women who love our brand and design aesthetics.
