Enzoani: Couture Bridal

Sophisticated, feminine and sharp. These best describe each piece of Enzoani’s bridal gown collection. The brainchild of Kang Chun Lin, Enzoani has evolved from eye-catching couture pieces to a partnership with Yuchiang Hu and a line of stunning bridal gowns.

Urbanette Magazine speaks with Kang Chun Lin on his beginnings and design inspirations.

Urbanette Magazine: What makes Enzoani bridal gowns unique? What is the design that best manifests the brand’s philosophy?

Kang Chun Lin: Enzoani gowns are unique in the fact that I place a great emphasis on hand crafting and attention to detail. All appliqués and beading are done by hand. I’ve always been a fan of designers that stress the importance of hand detailing; and all gowns in the Enzoani collections stress this as well.

Urbanette: What are the Do’s and Dont’s of bridal gowns?

Kang Chun: Brides absolutely must remember that flattering is the ultimate must. I tend to focus on the accentuating the waist. Belts and ruching draw the eye to a small waist. I don’t believe in over design, simple and comfortable yet stylish is my aesthetic.

Urbanette: How do you deal with the various bride personalities and still make sure that the Enzoani brand comes through?

“It’s important for a designer to stay true to his aesthetic and have passion. Without passion it is hard to do anything.”

Kang Chun: My gowns are designed with comfort in mind and although personalities may differ a bride ultimately wants to be comfortable on their special day. Each collection is different and a bride will gravitate to their favorite based on their personality but what they have in common is a sense of style and comfort. That is what I keep in mind when designing.

Urbanette: What is your typical design process?

Kang Chun: Each gown starts as just an idea in my head until it is sketched out. I typically sketch out a few as they come to me on one piece of paper and pick out a favorite. From there I’ll design a collection after this one favorite that serves as the main inspiration for the collection. I then alter the design after draping it on a form. On the form I can best decide what will look more flattering. Finally the revised sketch goes out to production based on my approval.

Urbanette: How did Enzoani come to be?

Kang Chun: I was attending business school when I realized I had an interest in fashion. I began reading and learning how to sketch and design during my spare time. I soon redesigned and contructed my mother’s entire wardrobe. Once I did that I enlisted for the London School of Design and decided I wanted to focus on bridal because of the attention to detail and hand crafting that it offers.

Urbanette: According to your website, Enzoani is available in over 700 outlets worldwide. Where is your largest client base? Does country and culture affect how brides respond to couture bridal gowns? Do you adjust according to the market?

Kang Chun: The largest client base is in North America. I began selling my gowns in North America and then expanded into Europe, UK, and beyond. Different cultures have different tastes and each collection is distinctly a little different than the other. Enzoani is the flagship line and incorporates more couture, Blue by Enzoani is more for the North American market and is a bit more commercial. Modeca came from Europe and has a European aesthetic that is very popular in that market.

I created the Black Label Collection to offer more custom, red carpet gowns that are very exclusive and limited. These gowns are more elaborate and detailed but are stay true to the Enzoani aesthetic.