Our Story

Henkaa's current Managing Director Sonia Dong and late CEO and Founder Joanne Duong Chang wearing the Sakura convertible dress prototype in plum purple.

Our Beginnings

As a bridesmaid and guest at countless weddings, Henkaa's late founder Jo was spending way too much on one-time use outfits and found it challenging to find clothing that suited everyone's body type, size, and personal style. 

She wore her first Henkaa dress to managing director Sonia's wedding in a one-shoulder style and changed it to a high-neck halter partway through the evening.

A guest saw her do her styling-change magic in the restroom and said she needed one too - and the rest is history!

Our Core Values & Philosophy

We believe that women can stress less when they get dressed. We seek to design clothing that can be worn for special occasions AND transition into your everyday wardrobe. Our core values are incorporated into the fabric of our company:

  • Empowering women to look and feel good with ease when they dress up for a special occasion - we give women freedom and choice to style their dresses the way they'd like to
  • Making the fashion space more inclusive with our size flexible clothing fitting up to size 24 and our diverse marketing efforts
  • Creating less waste with special occasion wear that can be worn again (not one-time use) 

Henkaa's innovative multifunctional dresses enable women to:

  • Style the dresses in the way they feel most comfortable and beautiful in (each dress can be styled in 10+ different ways!)
  • Re-wear the same dress to multiple events
  • Be confident that their dress will be the right fit with our flexible size-ranges

We believe you shouldn't have to change who you are to fit into the clothes you wear - the clothes you wear should evolve with you.

Giving Back

In 2019, we lost our fearless founder, Jo. She continues to be an inspiration to us and her love and light live on within us. To honour her legacy and vision, we are dedicated to supporting the Joanna Duong Chang Memorial Foundation to help women and girls reach their fullest potential.

Ten Years and Beyond

2020 was our 10 year anniversary, and we're proud that we've helped countless women discover the freedom and opportunities that convertible clothing provides. We are recognized as a body-positive brand that uplifts women with clothing that looks and feels great. We've enjoyed being with you on your journey and look forward to having you along for ours too.

Henkaa is based in Toronto, Canada, where all of our dresses are handmade with love.