Zang Toi: 30 Years on the Throne of Luxury

In an industry where a designer is as good as his current collection, Zang Toi is a veteran luxury designer who has remained relevant and successful for three decades. At age 50 when we met him, Toi had built a career creating beautiful, handcrafted gowns and impeccably tailored suits. “I am one of the few fortunate American designers that can command a very high ticket price,” said Toi, in an interview with Meets Obsession.

Toi readily admits that the exclusivity of his brand and loyalty of his elite clientele has helped to expand his high-end business, a difficult niche market that successfully is attained by a handful of designers such as Zac Posen, Diane von Furstenberg and Vera Wang. However, unlike those designers that have branched out into commercial lines, Toi sells to an even smaller market: elite consumers who can pay upwards of $30,000 for a well-crafted gown.

And he is one of a handful of designers who has done this successfully.

Inspired by beauty, Toi’s Fall 2011 collection of gowns and suits was designed in a palette of black, nude, and emerald green. His dresses, replete with intricate bead work, lace detailing, and delicate pleated silks showed at New York Fashion Week and received a full room standing ovation. There, Toi closed his show with a $30,000 finale piece that stunned audiences. With hundreds of hours of painstaking work, the black strapless organza ball gown was made with thousands of intricately placed Swarovski crystals and hand-stitched bead work to resemble lace trims.

The Malaysian-born designer grew up the youngest of seven children in Kelantan of the Kuala Krai district, and as a child, had an affinity for drawing. “I’ve always loved drawing and sketching and I think that gave me a solid foundation,” said the award-winning designer.

At the age of 20, Toi came to the United States to live with his brother and attend the prestigious Parsons The New School for Design where he almost majored in interior design. Taking last minute advice from his sister, however, Toi chose to enter fashion and never looked back.

Toi started his career by apprenticing under fashion designers Ronaldus Shamask and Mary Jane Marcasiano. Six years later, he opened his atelier and designed his first collection in 1989. “[There were] a total number of 13 pieces, my lucky 13,” said an effervescent Toi. “One dress was picked up by Anna Wintour [and was featured] in Vogue magazine.”

“[There were] a total number of 13 pieces, my lucky 13.”

Toi’s lavish gowns had so enamored Wintour that the famous editor featured the young designer in the iconic magazine twice. Six months later, he released his spring collection and he landed promptly back in Vogue. Over the next three decades, Toi’s work would be featured in major magazines like Women’s Wear Daily, Time, W, and Vanity Fair.

Toi’s earlier collections in the late ’80s and early ’90s were dramatic and bold, full of bright, splashy colors and Asian influences that included Malaysian orchids and bold patterned colored batiks.

However, over the years, the luxury designer has created simpler pieces with classic silhouettes and feminine detailing that included the use of delicate fabrics, tassels, beading, lace, and silk. Toi’s pure talent for creating red-carpet-ready gowns, infused with his interpretation of how a woman should dress, has allowed Toi to grow into an internationally distinguished designer. “My style is very classic and traditional, with my own unique twist to it,” he said, and continued to describe his key objectives in designing for his clientele. “My goal is to just continue to do beautiful things...to make my ladies happy and have them…coming back.”

Toi has a loyal following that includes Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria and Real Housewives of New York cast member, Jill Zarin.

Zarin, a good friend of Toi, fell in love with his clothes and asked the designer if she could walk his runway. “I met Jill back in 2008 when she was just about to start filming the Real Housewives,” he said. “By [then], I knew her body really well, so I said ‘sure, why not.’” For his Fall 2011 show, Toi put Zarin in his show-stopper piece and had devoted fans on their feet.

In the span of his career, Toi has dressed numerous celebrities that included Fergie, Sharon Stone, Gong Li, Heather Graham, Farrah Fawcett, Patti LaBelle, and Ivana Trump.

The designer was the recipient of numerous awards including the Mouton-Cadet Young Designer Award in 1990 and Monsieur Style Award for Best Womenswear Designer in 1997. In 2002, he was recognized for making a significant contribution to life in the United States from the International Center of New York. He received the Dynamic Achiever Award in 2010 and Transfiguration Education Association Award in 2011 both for his outstanding achievements in fashion.

When we spoke, Toi was working on his Spring/Summer 2012 collection. While the designs for his collection remained a secret, Toi did reveal his inspiration for the collection: Africa. “Things could change, but that’s the direction we’re taking right now,” he disclosed. “I was supposed to travel to a certain country for inspiration, but because of uncertainty in that region, we decided not to go.”

From the MO print archive: this story first ran in The Premiere Issue of Meets Obsession Magazine. Zang Toi was marking 30 years in fashion when we interviewed him; the collections and milestones are as they stood then. See his gowns in our Fall Beauties editorial from the same issue.

• Words: Jacqy Law
• Contributions: Catherine Toor
• Photographer: Kate Reeder