FAQs
Hi Jasmine, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us and have a chat about your new label. Would you like to begin with a brief introduction of yourself?
After spending more than 2 decades in the corporate world, I left to pursue my dreams and started MUN. In the beginning, it was mainly office apparels and over time, I established clientele base of young executives appreciates my designs, i.e. simple and timeless with a modern twist. Overtime, many of my clients entered to another phase, which is the “Bridal Chapter” and hence, the birth of MUN’s bridal collection.
I’m very thankful for my clients for their strong support in MUN and many of them have become friends to me over time. Their word-of-mouth recommendations are the reason why I never saw the need to advertise or go into social media.
How would you describe your designs?
My designs are very clean because I like simple concepts. I would say all my designs are very timeless and sensual with a touch of elegance. I will also base my designs on how to enhance my client's assets and at the same time, hide the flaws. In my eyes, every piece is a masterpiece customised to bring out the best of each individual.
Where do you get your inspirations from?
I am very fabric inspired. So basically, the motifs of the lace are the inspiration for me to create a design. It could be a very rustic and romantic look, or it could be a very elegant and avant garde look. It really depends on fabric itself. All of us come in different shapes and sizes, so what fits me might not fit you, and what fits you might not fit me. As such, I like to sit down with my client and find out more about their personal lifestyle. From there, I am able to carefully craft something that suits her personality and at the same time, achieve her dream dress.
How did The Label by MUN come about?
As I mentioned earlier, MUN creates only made to measure pieces and is very personalised, which I enjoy a lot. But over the years, I have deprived many clients of my designs due to time constraints. So I thought of creating a sister label that is able to cater to this group of clients who really appreciates my design.
Having said that, it’s still created really close to the heart. So even though it’s off the rack, it is crafted very thoughtfully so every piece is still a masterpiece to suit different individuals without compromising on the quality. I’ve observed that a lot of the times, when it’s off the rack, the quality of the dresses get compromised and they are not so detailed since not much attention is paid.
What is the direction of The Label?
The Label was based off my own observation that wedding planning is a lot of work and brides will be inexperienced since it’s the first time for many of them. I thought it would be great if we could help to ease the load off these brides. This is why we’re moving away from tradition and providing a one-stop shop. The Label is not limited to selling apparels like wedding gowns or cheong sams only. We also provide accessories, bridal robes, ring pillows, flower arrangements, hand bouquets, etc.
Oh, and not forgetting the very important figure in every bride’s and groom’s life; their mother! We do cater flattering gowns for mothers of brides and grooms as the wedding ceremony is also a significant day of their lives. My experience is that most brides tend to express their appreciation to by wanting their mothers to look their best on this special day. This is why I have also spent a lot of time and effort creating gowns for mothers. My design philosophy remains the same - elegant, timeless and most importantly, covering the most unflattering areas (namely, their tumtum and their butterfly sleeves, heh) to ensure they look young and sassy.
So other than lace, what are some other types of material that you use?
There are many other types of material that we use actually. We use French georgette and French chiffon to create a more flowy and fluid look, while duchess satin and Caesar silk are more structured. It really depends on the type of look that the bride is going for, as well as my professional opinion of whether it suits the bride.
Do you do rentals?
We don’t believe in rentals because to me, a wedding is a holy ceremony of matrimony that marks a brand new chapter of life for the couple. I respect that very much and that’s why everything should be fresh and brand new. Even though rentals are most cost effective, I believe there are other ways to get around that. You can always save on other aspects. But to me, it’s a very special day and the wedding dress makes up a big part of that fond memory. This is also why I personally believe in very durable, classic and timeless pieces - when you look back at your wedding, you want to fall in love with your dress all over again! Also, this means that brides have the option of handing their wedding gowns down to their future daughters. I think that’s very beautiful and meaningful.
How can I buy the pieces?
Wedding gowns, evening gowns and cheong sams are currently available from our shop. But I believe that one size does not fit all - certain styles work better for petite brides while others flatter plus-sized brides more. So all my designs are made for certain silhouettes in mind and this is why our pieces do not come in regular small, medium and large sizes, making us different from the conventional.
As such, purchase of the gowns from the shop is strictly by appointment only. I will be able to advise the bride on the styles that suit her, as well as ensure that the cutting of the dress is a good fit for her. This is also to ensure that brides maximise their time here when they visit our shop. You can make an appointment via our website’s Contact Us page.
What can I expect from an appointment with you?
Usually what happens is that the bride will come with some designs and styles in mind. It will be good if they bring some pictures as reference too. I will then advise what kind of designs they will be able to carry off and what doesn’t suit them as much based on their figure. I can then recommend them a style that is flattering on them. If there is a gown available off the rack that they are interested in, they can purchase it immediately. If alteration is required, it is included in the price and can be arranged easily. If no adjustment is needed, then they are free to bring their dream dress home. However, if nothing is suitable, they can consider made to measure by the sister label, MUN.
Within this visit, I am happy to take any questions that the bride might have, for example, what shoes to go with her selected dress, what kind of accessories and even hair and makeup style.
So what is available on sale online?
Through our website, you can view the gallery of our dresses to get a better sense of our designs. Since weddings gowns, evening gowns and cheong sams are only available for sale in our shop, you can purchase other essentials such as ring pillows and bridal robes from our website. These are items with regular sizes and designs, hence readily available. We will be launching them in April so please keep a look out!