Andrew Kwon's Aquarelle Collection Marks a Decade of Bridal Design

Ten bridal collections in five years is an audacious pace. Aquarelle, Andrew Kwon's Spring/Summer 2026 bridal collection, presented on April 9, 2025, at Nubeluz by José Andrés at The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, is simultaneously a milestone and the label's most conceptually ambitious work to date. Guests took their seats beneath reflective ceilings overlooking the Manhattan skyline, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling floral installations and afternoon tea service.

The collection draws its conceptual anchor from "La baie des Dizes, Nymphes du Nord," an 1891 painting by French artist Paul Émile Chabas, whose image of three nymphs beside still water triggered a personal memory for Kwon: childhood fishing trips with his father and brother beside Colorado lakes. That tension between myth and memory threads through all twelve looks. Aquarelle, French for "watercolor," channeled what Kwon described as "the brushstroke of memory, the hush of water, and the quiet power of a goddess in motion."

Four silhouette tracks define the collection's wearable range, each practical to translate from runway to aisle.

The cross-bias crêpe gowns are the most versatile. Cut to maximize fluid movement and trace the body without constricting it, these read beautifully at garden ceremonies and outdoor venues. A seamless nude bodysuit is the right underpinning; pair with minimal jewelry and Stuart Weitzman block-heel mules for uneven terrain.

The sculptural twisted bodices are the showpiece tier. Built over architectural corsetry and encrusted with crystal and pearl embroidery, these are ballroom gowns that generate genuine silence at an entrance. The corsetry does the structural work, so plan for a second fitting at the six-month mark as the boned structure settles. Keep accessories in a single metal and let the embroidery lead.

Liquid organza overlays, the label's signature fabric, recur throughout Aquarelle as full gowns and overskirts. Organza reads dramatically in natural light, making these pieces ideal for daytime ceremonies with directional sun. A slip in matching ivory silk underneath is non-negotiable; a barely-there stiletto keeps the eye on the fabric rather than the shoe.

Feather-light draped silks round out the collection as the most destination-wedding-friendly option. They move like water in coastal or vineyard settings, but require a fitted built-in bodice or high-quality adhesive bra to keep the neckline in place. Hemming to a precise length before the wedding day matters: draped silks pool inconsistently on different floor surfaces.

Kwon launched the label in 2021 with a Valentine's Day Instagram debut during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aquarelle's twelve made-to-order looks are priced from $9,000 to $24,000, available by private appointment at the ANDREW KWON Atelier in New York City, with bespoke creation taking 6 to 12 months. The collection is also carried at Bergdorf Goodman, Moda Operandi, and Neiman Marcus Dallas.

Kwon, born in 1995 in Denver and a 2019 Parsons graduate, was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30, Class of 2025, in 2024, and was a finalist in the CFDA's Inaugural Genesis Honor. A companion SS26 eveningwear collection, "Celestial," inspired by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin's "Aurora and Cephalus," was shown separately at the Waldorf Astoria, with one opening gown requiring over 500 hours of embroidery. For a label that debuted on Instagram during a pandemic, ten collections looks less like a milestone and more like a runway.