This interview was originally conducted by Natasha Jung and has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What you wear on your wedding day is an important decision. It is an expression of who you are and symbolic of this special moment.
When Jenn Qiao, co-founder of East Meets Dress, was planning her wedding, she envisioned herself wearing a traditional Chinese dress – also referred to as cheongsam or qipao – to honour her parents and culture. However, like many Asian American brides, the pursuit of the perfect cheongsam proved to be a challenge.
“I wanted something modern that suited my style, but the options were either to go to Chinatown, where the styles are very limited and very traditional, or try to look at a website where you’re not quite sure if the dress is going to turn out like the picture,” says the Chinese American entrepreneur.
In order to address this gap in the industry, she teamed up with her maid of honour, Vivian Chan, to launch East Meets Dress. Over one weekend, their website – a simple landing page – immediately garnered over fifty responses from brides who wanted to honour their culture on their special day. Since then it has flourished into an e-commerce business with customers across the world.
Not only is the duo helping Asian Americans celebrate their cultures, they are also redefining wedding fashion by making inclusive styles more accessible.
Marrying tradition with individual style
Co-Founder of East Meets Dress Vivian Chan is the creative designer behind the dresses. Without prior experience in dressmaking, she learned on the go and draws inspiration from their clientele.
By combining traditional aesthetics with modern elements, East Meets Dress carries a spectacular collection of over 50 different modern Chinese dress styles, including standard and custom pieces, catering to the unique tastes of individual brides.
“Our dresses are all inspired by the traditional elements of a chosen dress, usually starting off with a mandarin collar and with pankou knots,” explains Qiao, a first-generation Chinese American. “From there we infuse it with more modern elements, whether it is the fabric, the colour or the silhouette.”
Brides have the option to customize the modern Chinese dress further to reflect their background and personality, such as adding an embroidery with symbolic meaning or modern silhouette for comfort on the dance floor.
See also: Chinese wedding traditions you should know
“At the end of the day, if you’ve chosen to wear a cheongsam dress, that means you are already choosing to honour your parents or your culture,” Qiao says.
Asian American representation in the wedding industry
East Meets Dress began with Chinese traditional wedding dresses, but Qiao and Chan want to serve the needs of the wide and diverse Asian community.
In partnership with Isabel Du, an international model and former Miss Vietnam USA 2017, East Meets Dress released their Vietnamese wedding dress collection in response to a high volume of requests for áo dài dresses.
“There are many similarities between the Chinese wedding dress and the wedding dress. They both share a mandarin collar, they are both commonly red and gold,” Qiao describes.
These modern áo dài dresses are named after iconic Vietnamese women, such as Kelly Marie Tran and Michelle Phan.
Their goal is to create more Asian American representation in the wedding industry and beyond including resources on how to plan multicultural weddings, as well as expanding their product line to include menswear, childrens’ wear and pet attire.
“Growing up, my parents instilled in me the pride I have in my culture and where I come from. And I think that’s the core of East Meets Dress as a business,” Qiao shares. “Our mission is to help others be able to celebrate their heritage and show pride in who they are.”
Embracing body inclusivity
Being a modern Asian American bride means challenging stereotypes and redefining beauty in Asian culture. East Meets Dress is also pushing for body inclusivity by designing for a broad range of body types.
East Meets Dress tapped Catherine Li, model and content creator, to collaborate on and showcase a series of spectacular bridal pieces, including a convertible mini dress and a two-piece pant set, which she donned at her own Chinese-Filipino style wedding.
The biracial Chinese American model first discovered East Meets Dress on Pinterest and was delighted that they were open to designing for a US size 14.
“I’m a traditional gal, but I also want to add my personality and I know what looks good on my body,” said Li. “And let’s be honest, Chinese wear is not made for anybody who is big. They’re all made for smaller women.”
This was a contrast to her previous shopping experience in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, where shop owners suggested she lose weight to fit into a “standard” size.
“It’s important that we start having conversations that Asian women are in all different sizes,” says Li.
By celebrating Asian women of all sizes and shapes, the modern wedding brand is challenging mainstream beauty standards and making genuine steps towards inclusivity and accessibility for everyone.
See also: Breaking beauty standards: Catherine Li leads the charge
Inspiring the next generation to achieve their dreams
The entrepreneur duo hopes their story will inspire other young entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.
They had little experience in modern dressmaking and finances being first-time entrepreneurs, but they have learned to adapt and evolve along the way.
“We did everything ourselves…and it really helped us try things out quickly without taking too big of a risk,” Qiao reflects. “But I think we quickly realized that in order to grow a business, you have to also be willing to invest in the business and in yourself.”
While many businesses suffered during the pandemic, East Meets Dress demonstrated agility by collaborating with other brands and supporting their customers by providing resources for wedding planning and celebrating their Asian heritage.
“I hope we can inspire someone else to take that first step,” she said. “Once you do, you’re already halfway towards achieving your dreams.”
