Give us an insight into your background.

I am a graduate of Parsons School of Design, where is studied Fashion Design and specialized in bridal couture. After graduating I stayed in New York and worked for a handful of different womenswear, including bridal, and menswear companies while working on building my own brand. Once all the pieces were in place, I launched CKB in 2017, shortly after getting married and never looked back.

When did you fall in love with bridal design?

I have been in love with bridal fashion for as long as I can remember. In the 90’s there was a channel in the states called Fashion Network and they exclusively played runway shows and clips of interviews with designers all day long. Instead of watching kids shows, I remember just being completely in love with this channel and would watch for as long as my mom would allow me. There was one show that triggered something in me, it was a Vivienne Westwood runway show, that at the end had an encore of wedding dresses and I remember in that moment thinking, THIS is what I’m here for. This is what my calling is. Since then, I have been designing wedding dresses. After having some wonderful art teachers along the way, I made my way from San Francisco to New York and attended Parsons at the age of 17. There I specialized in couture and wedding gowns and the rest is history. 

What is the design and creation process like?

I rarely have one type of bride in mind while designing. I’ve never been one to follow trends, as so much fascinates me and I easily get bored with one look. Therefore, I choose to design timeless silhouettes that fit a multitude of different body types and mix them with interesting, new fabrics to blend old and new.

My design process usually starts with inspiration. Often, it will involve watching an old movie, as I find the costume designs from Hollywood’s Golden Age to be incredibly inspiring. I will see something that triggers an idea inside me, and I then try to flush out the idea with an image board. The next step is finding the fabrics that feel appropriate to the overall concept. From there I like to analyze the fabrics to determine what fits would be most flattering for each fabric, as well as what shapes help round out the story I’m trying to tell. At that time, I take my finalized ideas to our patternmaker and head seamstress to go over the gowns to make sure we can collectively execute the gown the way I intended. Luckily the team who constructs all of our gowns, both prototype samples and production, are local, New York artisans. I find this to be incredibly important for many reasons, including environmental sustainability as well as quality control. Once we create the first sample in muslin, we will have multiple fittings and make sure we feel the style is flattering and that we love it enough to move forward. Once those decisions are made, we figure out what we need for linings, structure and trims and then move forward to the final prototype.

What can we expect to see at White Gallery?

Because this will be our first show overseas, we’ve decided to bring both our newest collection, The Art Nouveau Collection, along with some best sellers. We wanted to make sure all of the new, prospective stockists have the opportunity to see what does best for us, as well as the newest pieces. 
For our 2023 collection, I drew inspiration from both organic and geometric forms, evolving elegant designs that united flowing, natural forms resembling the stems and blossoms of plants found in the wild. I chose luscious fabrics like silk satin chiffon to resemble the delicacy of flower petals and custom embroidered organza to tie in the aesthetic styles of the time. The collection has a mix of free-flowing styles along with more structured pieces to create a balance, like that in nature. 

Finally, what’s one thing you want people to know about your label?

We proudly design and manufacture all of our gowns in New York City’s Garment District, with an all female team that believes is sustainability, size inclusiveness and a love for bridal that runs so deep. 

Catherine Kowalski will be exhibiting on Stand 218 at White Gallery 2023. Click here to register for the event.