Hong Kong fashion designer William Tang on rise of China, young talent and his love of knitwear as he celebrates his career
- William Tang was one of the first non-mainland designers to show in China in the 1980s and has designed uniforms for airlines including Dragonair
- As he launches two books on his successful career, he says it has become harder today for young Hong Kong fashion designers to make their mark
Hong Kong fashion designer William Tang is celebrating almost four decades in the industry with two books published this month featuring his memoirs and pictures of his collections.
Called Throwback, the Chinese-language books cover his illustrious career from 1981 – his final year studying at the London College of Fashion – all the way to last year, when he designed a special collection to celebrate jewellery brand Chow Tai Fook’s 90th anniversary.
The now 62-year-old knows he is very lucky to have had a successful fashion career.
“I came back to Hong Kong at the best time ever in the 1980s, when it was getting mature. Then the 1990s were the golden days of Hong Kong and it was the number one ‘tiger’ in Asia. I was here for those 20 years,” says Tang, who is currently battling Covid-19. “Then after 2000, China started to bloom and I was there – [actually] I was there before it was blooming. I built up all my foundations and connections there.”
His relationship with China began in 1984 when he and a group of Hong Kong designers showed their collections in Guangzhou – only the second ever fashion show in the country to feature non-mainland brands after Pierre Cardin’s 1979 show in Beijing, he says. The event received considerable media attention.
