Success is in the jeans for designer and dreamer William Cheung

Local designer Koyo William Cheung Kwok-wai has come a long way from a tiny shop in Mong Kok's Allied Plaza 15 years ago. Yesterday, he opened his third Koyo Jeans boutique, in Sha Tin's New Town Plaza. Not bad for a bad student who fell into art and design by default.

'I remember at school I just hated reciting stuff, and subjects like literature and Chinese history were so boring to me,' Cheung (centre, in glasses, with celebrity friend Hins Cheung King-hin and a group of models) recalled. 'I liked drawing cartoons and other things, so I picked up my paint brush. But I kept thinking my stuff was crappy until one day my teacher explained to me that while my classmates might draw beautifully, they were always copying some great master works, whereas my stuff was original. From then on, I made it my goal to create original things.'

His Koyo Jeans brand isn't just limited to jeans. A bevy of slinky female models also showed off his swimwear and accessories in an eye-raising fashion show. Beyond Sha Tin, some of Cheung's designs are now also available in Paris department store Galeries Lafayette. Success there is especially sweet, because his showcase experience in France was so disappointing it nearly derailed his career. 'It was 1999. I came back home, told myself that I would never go back to Europe again. Now it is an incredible feeling when I see people wearing my jeans and other clothes on the streets of Paris. I am so glad I didn't give up my career on impulse. I want to tell Hong Kong designers that they also have the potential and not to give up on their dreams.'