Italian bridal couture designer Peter Langner has an established presence in Europe, and has been quickly rising in the U.S. This April, the brand hosted a bridal fashion show at New York International Bridal Week and we were lucky to attend.
Peter Langner’sĂ‚Â Spring 2015 CollectionĂ‚Â caused quite a stir in the wedding industry. With an exquisite attention to detail, Langner is wowedĂ‚Â with his trulyĂ‚Â Italian tailoring excellence. Combining innovative concepts with handmade tradition, Langner uses only the finest and most exclusive fabrics that are truly made for dresses. He describes his work as a continued exercise of patience, constancy, and determination, making every gown unique in its creation.
We caught up with Peter to learn more about the vision for his brand.
I DO PR: Who is a Peter Langner bride?
Peter Langner: We do not dress one specific customer or bride. I don’t think that everything is about “romance” or “contemporary”. Our clients are usually looking for a very interesting and different look. They do their research and want to wear a different gown than their friends in the past. All our gowns have a very specific mood and setting. There are gowns for a beach wedding as well as a cathedral wedding. We like to be universal and not all about “country” setting or  “city” setting.
You hosted a wonderful runway show in the spring. Do you have plans to show during the Fall Bridal Market?
PL: We usually show only in April, as we use the Fall to assist our stores to sell our gowns. I don’t think it is smart to create two collections and the stores cannot absorb all the new designs and really work with the gowns in their store. We run after fashion before we even have time to look at it and feel the beauty of it.
What distinguishes your brand from other high-end bridal designers showing in New York?
PL:Ă‚Â We are one of the very few European designers showing in the US in the past 20 years on a continuous basis. Our gowns are all handmade in Italy with a very international vision and feeling. We might be a bit more trendy than other more commercial companies, but we place a lot of energy in research of materials and fabrication and cut.
Your brand is sold in several countries – where is your brand particularly popular and why?
PL: We sell all around the world and each culture has a different need and approach. There is not one market which is bigger or smaller for us. That is the great asset we have, and at the same our biggest problem. We trade to a Japanese client that does only rental business as well as the U.S. market, which really lives off reorders and has to guarantee a client a reorder for many years.
What do you see as the biggest differences between European and U.S. markets?
PL:Ă‚Â The U.S. market is very focused on the “star system”: whatever a star is wearing should work on a lot of other brides. Unfortunately, that works out in the least amount of cases because the budget is usually very different. So in the end, you are left with a copy of someone else’s wedding.
Italy has very strong roots inĂ‚Â itsĂ‚Â religious culture and has difficulty getting away from that. So fashion is often left out of the bride’s choice, but slowly we are getting there and being able to travel easier does help change the attitude toward shopping as well.
What should we expect to see from Peter Langner in the coming year?
PL:Ă‚Â I have NO idea! We will see!
Last but certainly not least. What’s your dream vacation destination?
PL:Ă‚Â My own country home. I travel a lot during the year and when I finally can rest, I really love to stay home. If we do travel for pleasure, I love to go to Ibiza in the Fall or winter. It is a beautiful setting and very quiet.
