Yumi Katsura: Yuzen Silk Champion

Since her first collection in 1964, Yumi Katsura has built a long and successful international career with her elaborate one-of-a-kind wedding gowns and has become known for her use of rich embellishment and luxurious fabrics.

The Japanese designer presented her one of a kind gowns in Singapore during Haute Couture Week.

Her most interesting design are those using yuzen silk which is dyed according to a technique first developed in the middle of the Edo era (around 1700). The process requires many fine manipulations and create exquisite patterns.

She has primarily used it for her wedding and evening gowns and even launched a Yuzen Collection dedicated to the dyed fabric.

Come January, Katsura is planning to introduce more casual wear in the collection she will present in Paris during Couture Week. “Of course there will still be evening wear, but there will also be more cocktail dresses. I might even shock people and mix yuzen with jeans,” the veteran designer recently said through an interpreter, adding she still likes to experiment with design and use of material.