Making a wedding dress is an art where it is not enough to create something of enduring beauty. A dress is not a piece that is made to be admired from a distance – it is made to be worn, and as such the driving force in its inception lies not in the fabric, accessories or motivations of the creator but in the identity of the person who will be wearing it.
This philosophy has been guiding the Vinka label for over fifty years and forms the heart of what we do. While we do create collections of gowns for display in our showroom, most of our clientele opt to have a gown custom-made for them, which is where as designers and as artists we hit our stride.
To us the decision to have a gown custom-made is the beginning of a partnership between designer and client, wherein our experience and knowledge become a tool to craft the ideas, tastes and character of our client into drapes, folds, embellishments and angles that accentuate their personal style and figure. Once a design has been made the process of physically creating the gown begins and is carried out by hand in our Auckland-based atelier. A series of fittings ensue to both ensure that the gown embraces and flatters the client and that by the end of the process the finished artwork is truly the bride’s fantasy brought to life.
Making a wedding gown is one of the few types of art where the creator does not work alone. A bespoke gown is unique in that it is made to reflect the identity and style of the bride though the hands and craftsmanship of the designer, something which can only be successfully achieved through a unified collaboration between dressmaker and client. This concept forms the backbone of all the work we do at Vinka Design and drives us as artists to create pieces that celebrate the silhouettes, compliment the characters and embrace the integrity of the women who will be wearing them. It’s how we know that what we design is couture.
