ENTREPRENEUR, FASHION, FEATURED, NAGALAND, PEOPLE, WEDDING
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Zena Marie Kire, Owner Of ZENA Bridal Salon, Nagaland Tells Us How & Why She Makes Every Bride Feel Extra Special While Finding The Perfect Gown

For a girl, her wedding day is undoubtedly the most special day of her life. And for a bride, an amazing wedding dress makes all the difference! When the dress has been carefully chosen, it is important for every bride to feel beautiful, confident and comfortable on her big day. ZENA Bridal Salon in Dimapur, Nagaland is the perfect store to explore for every bride-to-be in search for her perfect gown and everything else for her special day! Here’s a chat with owner Zena Marie Kire to know more about her, and her bridal shop in Nagaland.

Today, we are happy to have with us Zena Marie Kire, from Nagaland – owner of ZENA Bridal Salon in Dimapur. She talks about the importance of making the bride-to-be feel extra special through her vast selection of wedding gowns – and the shopping experience itself.

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Zena Marie Kire is the owner of Zena Bridal Salon, Nagaland.

  • Hi Zena! Introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background.

Hi! I’m Zena Marie Kire and I’m the owner of ZENA Bridal. I am currently based in Dimapur, Nagaland but prior to this, I was living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I have always been interested in fashion, and more importantly bridal wear. The thought that I can help a woman realize her bridal dreams come par to none for me and the idea of opening this store had always been at the back of my mind. But I needed to gain some knowledge and experience before, so I got my Bachelors degree in Fashion & Retail from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I was honoured to receive the Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence upon graduating. Limkokwing University is the first in the world to have its own fashion label called ‘Fashion Club’ and as a student member, I got to work alongside the team behind the scenes. This combined with my work experience in various fashion companies, encouraged me to follow my ultimate dream of running a bridal salon. After a brief career in fast fashion and the investment industry, I came back home to Nagaland to pursue my own goals.”

A look inside Zena’s Bridal shop in Dimapur, Nagaland.

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A look inside Zena’s Bridal shop in Dimapur, Nagaland.

  • Tell us more about your store, ZENA Bridal. What is special about it?

ZENA Bridal was conceptualized couple years ago. I had a vision for a store that catered to every segment of society, a place where brides could shop for their dream gown and feel at ease and comfortable. A place where every service is tailored to the unique wants of each bride. ZENA Bridal strives to be unlike any other. To us, service is just as important as the product. Our business philosophy is to ensure that every bride gets exactly what she wants, even if it means we need to go the extra mile to get it for her.”

“At ZENA, we are committed to marrying convenience with style by offering high-quality bridal gowns and accessories at a variety of price points and designs. We believe that dreams should not be exclusive only to a select few, rather, every bride deserves to look her best and live the wedding of her dreams on her special day!”

A beautiful bride wears a gown from Zena’s bridal collection.

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A beautiful bride wears a gown from Zena bridal’s collection.

“At ZENA, we understand the stress that every bride goes through before her big day and we strive to provide the bride with options to suit her preferences rather than have her compromise on any aspect so that she can look her most fabulous self on her big day. Our mantra is ‘if a bride needs it, we have it’. We invest our time and energy into understanding what a bride wants so that we can deliver just that!”

  • What is the story behind the name and what is the brand concept?

The name ZENA was pretty simple as it’s named after me 🙂 However, the meaning behind it relays just as much as the very foundation upon which our business is built. ZENA means ‘hospitable and welcoming’ and that is exactly what the store is meant to feel like.

As mentioned earlier, our store focuses on customer service and that is the backbone of our brand concept. ZENA Bridal is meant to be a haven of sorts for brides, a place they can get all their wedding day apparels and accessories from while they can be sure that we will deliver just what they need and want.

Variety of beautiful bridal bouquets displayed at ZENA Bridal Salon.

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Variety of beautiful bridal bouquets displayed at ZENA Bridal Salon.

  • How did you come up with the idea of your store? What was the inspiration?

Travel is my passion. Whenever I get a chance to pack my bags and explore, I grab the opportunity. After experiencing different cultures and destinations during my travels, I observed a huge lack of focus on customer service in the stores in Nagaland. Best stores across the world are the ones that have the best customer service.

“When a woman shops for her wedding gown, she is shopping for a gown that she is going to wear on a day she’s making the most important decision of her life. So she shouldn’t feel like she is shopping for just another outfit. The treatment from the store should feel personal and attentive – just like her state of mind when she picks a companion for life. That’s the kind of experience we try to recreate when the bride and her family shops for her wedding wares.”

Beautiful wedding gown worn by Zena’s client on her wedding day.

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Beautiful wedding gown worn by Zena bridal’s pretty client on her wedding day

  • How have your roots and upbringing influenced your work or working style?

Even as a child, while growing up, I was been exposed to different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. I believe that has enabled me to communicate and adapt to various customers and their needs. I’ve learned that keeping an open-mind helps me to serve my brides more efficiently.

  • What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your journey? Also tell us about some key learnings so far.

As far as my brides are concerned, each new bride I work with is a challenge on its own. Each bride has a different personality, needs and visions etc. It’s my job to understand what she needs at that point and deliver it. No bride brings more challenges than the other and all are equally the same.

“I’ve learned that my true source of inspiration are my brides. Each bride is unique, with their own individual set of wants and vision as far as their wedding gowns are concerned. For me, the moment I decipher her dream is when the light bulb lights up! I remain up to date on current bridal trends as my brides are well informed. It equips me better to serve them. But of course I don’t limit myself to trends alone. The store remains stocked with classic and contemporary designs, the latest trends, styles with clean simple lines, etc.”

A bride wearing a piece from Zena bridal’s collection.

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A bride wearing a piece from Zena bridal’s collection.

  • Tell us about some of the products you sell and the special services you provide.

We store a wide variety of wedding gowns, shoes, veils, gloves, hair accessories, jewellery, coloured gowns and intimates that every bride needs. I shortlist products based on current fashion trends and most importantly, the needs of my brides. Each item is handpicked keeping with my clientele in mind. Each bride has a specific purpose for choosing a specific design or silhouette, so I work with everyone to understand what she has in mind so that I am equipped to cater to all her needs. As mentioned earlier, we are just as much about the service as we are about our products.

Browsing inside ZENA Bridal shop you’ll see beautiful wedding accessories, shoes and wedding gowns.

Browsing inside ZENA Bridal shop you’ll see beautiful wedding accessories, shoes and wedding gowns.

  • Where can we buy them? Any special mention about your products.

People can walk into my store, ZENA Bridal in Dimapur, Nagaland. Monday to Saturday, 9 am – 6 pm. At this juncture, I only serve brides at my store, as I believe wedding gowns require a personal touch and I do not want to limit my availability to the brides.

“I hope that ZENA is known as a trusted friend for brides. I want brides to know that ZENA understands the importance of having a stress-free wedding and I want them to look resplendent on their wedding day. To that end, I want to assure my customers that I will take every step necessary to make the perfect gown for them.”

A bride wearing a beautiful custom gown by Zena’s bridal collection.

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A bride wearing a beautiful custom gown by Zena’s bridal collection.

Drop earrings especially sourced for the brides by Zena.

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Drop earrings especially sourced for the brides by Zena.

If you’re a soon-to-be bride, then do visit ZENA Bridal Salon at Walford Road (opposite Mahindra showroom) in Dimapur, Nagaland. Also be sure to check out more from them by following them on Instagram and Facebook.

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A beautiful bride wearing Zena bridal’s collection and getting ready for her big day

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