HIS CRYSTAL-ENCRUSTED cocktail dresses have earned him the name of 'the new Barney Cheng', and his beaded masks paraded on the catwalk during Australian Fashion Week recently bagged him headlines - and controversy. Yet Dorian Ho, the rising star of Hong Kong fashion, wants the world to know: there is no such thing as an easy ride.
In the competitive world of fashion, where 20-year-old hopefuls crop up at the end of every school year, it takes more than design talent and publicity stunts to survive the fickle arena of frocks and gowns. For designers, the ability to deliver must-have collections, season after season, is the true test of staying power, something Ho is acutely aware of.
'You need to be pragmatic even when you are in the design business,' says the 32-year-old in his showroom. 'As a designer, you need to be constantly evolving and thinking ahead of everyone else.'
Being the leader of the pack is the designer's motto, a philosophy that has helped him win rave reviews and international coverage in the three years since the launch of his Dorian Ho label.
Ho has been steadily making an impact on the international fashion scene with his signature hand-beaded 1920s-inspired collections. As fashion entered a new millennium, his elegant gowns were a refreshing alternative to minimalist chic and coincided with the return of nostalgic glamour that has made his dresses red-carpet favourites among the likes of model Qi Qi and actress Karen Mok Man-wai. They have also appeared in the fashion pages of Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar.
'It's been very busy for us,' says Ho, who has just returned from Australian Fashion Week. 'We've been overwhelmed with orders and while feedback has been encouraging, things have also been stressful.'