Mary Ping

Who's behind it? Thirty-year-old Mary Ping decided she wanted to be a clothing designer

at the age of six. After majoring in studio art at Vassar, a liberal arts college in New York state, she designed costumes for the school's drama department before landing internships with designers such as Han Feng, Anna Sui and Robert Cary-Williams. She launched her label in spring 2002 and has climbed the fashion ladder steadily since; she has won the Ecco Domani Award for new designers and the 7th on Sixth/UPS Fashion's Future Award, and has been featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, among many other magazines.

Why we love it? Ping's work has an architectural quality with an emphasis on the construction of the garment. Her style is clean and classic with subtle twists. While her pieces look modern, they are also the type of clothes you will wear time and again. 'I always aim to create something that is smart, elegant and unique; timely but timeless,' says the designer.

For spring, her colour palette consists of cream, black and white contrasted with bold colours such as vermillion, purple and blue. Must-haves include the Eve T-shirt in buff silk (left; US$525) matched with a circle skirt in black water faille (left; US$738). For something sexier, Ping offers the Richard silk vermillion dress (right; US$2,460), with a contrasting blue lining and cut outs at the shoulder.