ID :
149935
Mon, 11/15/2010 - 09:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/149935
The shortlink copeid
MALAYSIAN FASHION ICON HONOURED IN NEW YORK
NEW YORK, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- At a glittering gala event in Westchester near
Manhattan, Malaysia’s most prominent fashion icon received a unique honour last
night from the financially powerful Organisation of Chinese Americans (OCA),
which espouses the cause of not only Chinese but also Asian interests in the
United States.
The crème-de-la-crème of the Chinese community on the east coast was present
at the gala evening and heaped accolades on Kelantan-born Zang Toi whose
exquisite and creative fashion designs impacted on America’s fashion world,
earning him a place of pride in this country.
The OCA, which is the apex organisation of Chinese from around the world
living in the United States and held its 30th anniversary celebrations, has been
giving this award annually to top achievers in a wide range of fields, including
business, arts, fashion, etc.
Toi was conferred the Dynamic Achiever Award for his “outstanding
achievements” in fashion.
His company, 'House of Toi', is located on New York’s busy 57th Street,
just across the Fifth Avenue which is dotted by a cluster of elegant shops of
the world’s top designers of fashion, jewellery, interior decoration, etc.
Toi, born in 1961 in Kelantan, is the youngest of seven children of a
grocer. Kelantan is located in the north-eastern corner of the peninsula
Malaysia.
His rise from humble beginnings to one of the celebrated designers in the
country, reads like a rags-to-riches story.
Arriving in New York at age 20, Toi attended the Parsons School of Design
and, subsequently apprenticed with Mary Jade Marcasiano and Ronaldus Sharnask.
But confidence in his own abilities propelled the young Toi to venture on
his own. Thus, 'House of Toi' was born in 1989.
After bagging the 1990 Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year award, he
also set up a specialty dress shop in Malaysia in 1996, expanding the operation
with a Zang Toi Café in Kuala Lumpur in 2004.
Besides prominent figures from the Chinese community, the event was also
attended by Datuk Hamidon Ali, Malaysia's permanent representative to the
United Nations, who extended his congratulations to Toi. A representative of US
President Barack Obama was also present at the event.
“I am humbled by this honour. I believe that one can earn the honour through
sheer dedication, sincerity and hard work,” Toi told Bernama.
But the recipient’s “greatest joy” was that he could also bring his
85-year-old mother Foo Chin Chih and his sister, Toi Mey Mey, both of whom had
flown to New York from Kuala Lumpur, to witness the honour conferred on him.
“I am delighted at the award whose special attraction for me personally is
the presence of my mother and sister today in our midst,” he said in an
emotionally-cracked voice. Foo said that she was “extremely proud” of her son’s
achievements.
At the gala event, Toi also displayed video clips of his 2011 spring
fashion collection which had earlier received rave notices from locals.
Accolades were heaped on Toi for his achievements -– be it in the field of
fashion or in the context of his numerous charitable activities.
“Not many people know that besides being an excellent designer, Zang Toi is
also doing a lot of work for charitable causes, which makes him endearing to
people who know him,” one of the comperes at the event said, adding that
“philanthropy happens to be his passion”.
The words aroused the guests at the event to give him a standing ovation.
“The boy from Kelantan”, as many of the American guests present called him,
has been cultivating a personal friendship with his customers who appreciate
this approach.
An American couple, who had been invited to the event, said they would “only buy from Toi” who is not just selling his products but also cementing friendship with his gestures that make customers very happy.
“That’s the way to do business. We, Americans, could learn from him,” one man said.
But some of the Malaysian Chinese were also asking why Zang Toi had not been appointed by Tourism Malaysia as an unofficial Malaysian cultural ambassador.
“He could certainly be an asset to the nation. With his wide reach into various strata of American society, Toi would make an excellent cultural ambassador,” John Seow, a Malaysian from Ipoh, said in a private conversation with this correspondent.
Manhattan, Malaysia’s most prominent fashion icon received a unique honour last
night from the financially powerful Organisation of Chinese Americans (OCA),
which espouses the cause of not only Chinese but also Asian interests in the
United States.
The crème-de-la-crème of the Chinese community on the east coast was present
at the gala evening and heaped accolades on Kelantan-born Zang Toi whose
exquisite and creative fashion designs impacted on America’s fashion world,
earning him a place of pride in this country.
The OCA, which is the apex organisation of Chinese from around the world
living in the United States and held its 30th anniversary celebrations, has been
giving this award annually to top achievers in a wide range of fields, including
business, arts, fashion, etc.
Toi was conferred the Dynamic Achiever Award for his “outstanding
achievements” in fashion.
His company, 'House of Toi', is located on New York’s busy 57th Street,
just across the Fifth Avenue which is dotted by a cluster of elegant shops of
the world’s top designers of fashion, jewellery, interior decoration, etc.
Toi, born in 1961 in Kelantan, is the youngest of seven children of a
grocer. Kelantan is located in the north-eastern corner of the peninsula
Malaysia.
His rise from humble beginnings to one of the celebrated designers in the
country, reads like a rags-to-riches story.
Arriving in New York at age 20, Toi attended the Parsons School of Design
and, subsequently apprenticed with Mary Jade Marcasiano and Ronaldus Sharnask.
But confidence in his own abilities propelled the young Toi to venture on
his own. Thus, 'House of Toi' was born in 1989.
After bagging the 1990 Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year award, he
also set up a specialty dress shop in Malaysia in 1996, expanding the operation
with a Zang Toi Café in Kuala Lumpur in 2004.
Besides prominent figures from the Chinese community, the event was also
attended by Datuk Hamidon Ali, Malaysia's permanent representative to the
United Nations, who extended his congratulations to Toi. A representative of US
President Barack Obama was also present at the event.
“I am humbled by this honour. I believe that one can earn the honour through
sheer dedication, sincerity and hard work,” Toi told Bernama.
But the recipient’s “greatest joy” was that he could also bring his
85-year-old mother Foo Chin Chih and his sister, Toi Mey Mey, both of whom had
flown to New York from Kuala Lumpur, to witness the honour conferred on him.
“I am delighted at the award whose special attraction for me personally is
the presence of my mother and sister today in our midst,” he said in an
emotionally-cracked voice. Foo said that she was “extremely proud” of her son’s
achievements.
At the gala event, Toi also displayed video clips of his 2011 spring
fashion collection which had earlier received rave notices from locals.
Accolades were heaped on Toi for his achievements -– be it in the field of
fashion or in the context of his numerous charitable activities.
“Not many people know that besides being an excellent designer, Zang Toi is
also doing a lot of work for charitable causes, which makes him endearing to
people who know him,” one of the comperes at the event said, adding that
“philanthropy happens to be his passion”.
The words aroused the guests at the event to give him a standing ovation.
“The boy from Kelantan”, as many of the American guests present called him,
has been cultivating a personal friendship with his customers who appreciate
this approach.
An American couple, who had been invited to the event, said they would “only buy from Toi” who is not just selling his products but also cementing friendship with his gestures that make customers very happy.
“That’s the way to do business. We, Americans, could learn from him,” one man said.
But some of the Malaysian Chinese were also asking why Zang Toi had not been appointed by Tourism Malaysia as an unofficial Malaysian cultural ambassador.
“He could certainly be an asset to the nation. With his wide reach into various strata of American society, Toi would make an excellent cultural ambassador,” John Seow, a Malaysian from Ipoh, said in a private conversation with this correspondent.
