Japanese bridal collection comes to Vietnam

The collection is among the most awaited of the 20 fashion shows to be held by Vietnamese and foreign designers during the week.

Katsura is one of Japan's most prolific designers, whose wedding dresses are considered modern masterpieces.

According to an organiser of Vietnam's fashion week, her show will be held on October 16 at GEM Centre in HCM City.

Her collection includes unique designs, with some dresses containing ornamentation valued at millions of US dollars. Her designs reflect the beauty of Japanese culture.

One of her dresses is considered the most expensive wedding dress ever made, valued at one billion Japanese yen (8.5 million USD). Made from silk-satin and embellished with zari-embroidery handiwork, the dress is decorated with 1,000 pearls, a green 8.8 carat diamond emblem, and a 5 carat white gold diamond. Only two dresses were made.

Katsura, who has worked as a designer for 50 years, was born in Tokyo. She graduated from Kyoritsu Women's University with a degree from the Department of Apparel Science Studies. After moving to Paris, Katsura studied the techniques of haute couture in Paris at Les Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale de La Couture Parisienne.

She opened her first bridal salon in 1964 and presented her first bridal collection show ever held in Japan. Soon after that, she published The Bridal Book, the first Japanese book specialising in bridal fashion.

In 1981, Katsura expanded her business into the US, France and England where she participated in the Japan Fashion Fair. Seven years after that, she opened Yumi Katsura Bridal Museum in Kobe.

The museum exhibits authentic traditional bridal gowns from all over the world. Over the next six years, Katsura worked on her next big project, and finally opened the Yumi Katsura Bridal House New York on Madison Avenue in New York City.