Kuala Lumpur may not be mentioned in the same breath as Paris, Milan, London or New York but Malaysia is where Datuk Jimmy Choo, Zang Toi, Yeohlee Teng, Justin Oh and Datuk Bernard Chandran were born. These world-class designers are proof  that we have excellent talent in the field of fashion.

ZANG TOI

IT'S easy to understand why women want to have at least a piece of Zang Toi in their wardrobes. With a combination of immaculate cutting, fine tailoring, clever mix of colours and arresting design, the New York-based designer's clothes epitomise luxury, glamour and style.

American fashion editors have equated him with couture greats like Oscar de la Renta, the late Bill Blass and Isaac Mizrahi.

And, during one of New York's Fashion Weeks where all the aforementioned designers presented their designs, it was Toi's creations that "stole the show", reported the Daily News.

No surprise why he has been given various major awards including the Young Designer Award for Mouton Cadet in 1990 and the Elsa Schiaparelli Creative Design Award in 1992. 

One of Toi's noteworthy anecdotes was when he created a pricey, two-piece black beaded eveningwear with matching stole several years back. Sales soared when it appeared in a full-page Nordstrom ad in W magazine.

"The ensemble cost about RM50,000 and even the Nordstrom people were sceptical about advertising it at first since it was too pricey.

"But, it was sold out at the Nordstrom store and they called me up for more orders of that particular  number."  His loyal clients include Ivana and Ivanka Trump, Melinda Gates, Sharon Stone, the Lauder sisters Aerin and Jane, and the late Farrah Fawcett. He also designs (by the wardrobe, mind you) for an Arabian princess and her three young daughters.

Born a grocer's son in Kuala Krai, Kelantan, Toi is also actively involved  in charity work, especially with Planet Hope, a foundation that supports homeless children in New York and Los Angeles.

He attends their summer camps to teach children to sketch and design but lately Toi says he's been too busy with the trunk shows and only sends in his donation.

"I'm also sentimental about people with HIV and AIDS. It's a sad thing and I always collaborate or persuade my wealthy clients to help out in anything to do with children or AIDS."

DATUK JIMMY CHOO YEANG KEAT

Some wealthy women have been known  to withdraw their most wanted haute couture purchase if he doesn't design shoes to match.

His clients are also ready to travel for miles from their exclusive residences to his simple studio-cum-workshop in London just for him to measure their feet.

Only the well-to-do can afford to pamper their pedicured toes in Jimmy Choo Couture's hand-made footwear.

The late Princess Diana was a loyal fan and a customer that he is "most proud of". Choo treasures a pair of understated V-cut beige pumps that he was due to deliver to her the week after her tragic death.

"The princess was a great person and a great friend. She cared more about others than she did about herself,"  Choo who was born in 1961, the same year as the princess, had said in an interview.

He chose to make London his base since Malaysians are thrifty and not so fashion conscious.

Good move indeed, as in London his creative talent did not go unnoticed.

Choo's clients include the Duchesses of York and Kent, Viscountess Linley, Marie Helvin, Yasmin Le Bon, Emma Thompson, Nicole Kidman, Meg Ryan, Patsy Kensit, Naomi Campbell, Datuk Michelle Yeoh, the Queens of Spain, Greece and Denmark.

What's special about his soles? "It all has to do with the shape and cut. Precision is very important when designing shoes. A good pair of shoes undergoes meticulous technical procedures in order for it to be comfortable for the wearer".

He said he had always had a fetish for shoes ever since he was a boy.

His father Choo Kee-Yin was a respected maker of men's and women's moccasins in Penang.

"From the age of 12 I learned by watching my dad working on his craft and I became interested."

Armed with some knowledge about shoemaking, Choo enrolled at the renowned Cordwainers College in London's East End to study shoe design.

The college has trained many famous shoe designers including Patrick Cox.

Choo graduated with distinction and became a shoe design consultant to Bally of Switzerland. His big breakthrough came in October 1988 when he won the top award at the British Designers' Show in London.

The winning design was named the Rosettes collection which is very feminine and romantic in bright colours. It included both flatties and high heels.

He gained a reputation for exquisite workmanship and started making shoes for established fashion designers such as Giorgio Armani, Katharine Hamnett, Catherine Walker, Bruce Oldfield and Helmut Lang for their runway shows.

He now makes special-order shoes under the brand Jimmy Choo Couture.

JUSTIN OH

His clothes are spirited, surprising, practical and relevant. Take the utilitarian white shirt, for example. Justin Oh once gave the classic cotton top a casual-chic style with three-quarter sleeves instead of the usual long and formal length.

Or, the black sleeveless shirt which Oh edged with contrasting white chalk marks on the collar, right down to where the buttons meet.

And, he didn't stop there - the white chalk marks were done asymmetrically!

The Penang-born, who's based in London since the late 80's, is also famous for fusing Asian exotica with Western verve. Through this, the designer recreates the traditions of both.

No wonder Oh, a veteran of more than 10 London Fashion Weeks and several Paris fashion shows always gets positive reviews.

He has said that his style principle is about reinventing tradition. "It sounds like a big term, yes, but it's really something simple. I work around traditional things by changing the fabrics, altering proportions and cuts.

"For instance, I've designed a kebaya paired with a trench or with a short skirt. And the silhouette is made looser and less-constructed than the form-fitting original".

What sets him apart from the other couturiers is that he prefers working on a certain style than following fashion trends. Oh, who has been mentored by the likes of Yohji Yamamoto and Helmut Lang was once quoted as saying: "Fashion is like a collective agreement that comes together from all designers whereas style is an individual statement."

DATUK BERNARD CHANDRAN

Known for his extravagant designs, Chandran first launched his label in 1993.  His extraordinary talent quickly earned him numerous awards and an impressive list of celebrated clients including members of the royal family, celebrities and artists in the entertainment world.

Bernard Chandran was worn by British singer Estelle to the 2008 MTV European Music Awards. Lady Gaga has also been spotted in his attire.

For her much-talked about topless, bondage-inspired shoot with Italian Vogue, Rihanna wore a hat from Chandran's autumn/winter 2009 collection. Having spent four years in Paris studying fashion, this French-trained designer has a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from the Paris American Academy.

He was once quoted as saying: "Everyone must go to a fashion school to understand the basics of fashion. Not only to learn design, but the history of fashion too". Of Chinese-Indian parentage, the handsome couturier was the first Malaysian to win the 'Open European Contest for Look of the Year 2000' in 1991.

In January 2004, he opened his first store abroad in Beauchamp Place near Knightsbridge, London.  Then in 2006, the designer launched his Autumn/Winter 2006 Ready-to-Wear collection during London Fashion Week.  The collection is now featured on vogue.com.

YEOHLEE TENG

Yeohlee Teng moved from Malaysia to New York to study at the Parsons School of Design.  Teng who hails from Penang established her design house  Yeohlee in 1981. She has been quoted as saying that she dresses for the "21st century nomad" who's always on the go. Which is why, her designs, mostly in subdued shades, come in year-round, seasonless styles that are practical and functional.

Teng's designs have earned a permanent place in the Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the late Richard Martin, then Chief Curator, called her "one of the most ingenious makers of clothing today."
She also received the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in 2004 for Fashion Design. From March to September this year Teng's creations were  featured in "Fashioning Felt" at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.