Catching the Light

What type of woman wears Cheng-Huai Chuang designs？ Those that are glamorous， feminine and strong—New York sexy.

“We all know the TV show Sex and the City. I think that is the kind of woman I would like to design for. Women who are very independent， could be any age and know how to enjoy their lives， even when working hard，” says Cheng， 26.

Saturated colors， piles of Swarovski crystals， feathers and lace， leather and satin—what glam girl wouldn’t love Cheng’s fringed bustiers and stunning evening gowns？ And， the fashion world is taking note. His designs have ended up on the cover of Elle magazine， on celebrities like singer Carrie Underwood， Japanese pop princess Ayumi Hamasaki， and R&B singer Brandy Norwood.

The designs may be New York-inspired， but have an Asian heart. He blends the West’s adventurous love of breaking boundaries with the East’s sensibilities of femininity and beauty.

“From the way Chinese people see fashion， I can combine with how people see fashion here，” he says.

Cheng debuted his collections in 2010， but has been designing fashion since a young age growing up in Taiwan， where his parents owned a high-end clothing store.

“My folks sell women’s wear and support a couple of local designers. I used to play dressing up the mannequins—-that’s how I started. In high school， I learned how to actually make clothes，” he said.

Cheng’s parents were initially wary of their son’s aspirations.

“They are in the fashion business， so they know it is hard. They worried about my future，”he says. “But after I kept going， they accepted it. They still don’t support it， but don’t stop me either. I’m doing my best to get somewhere.”

After interning for a wedding dress designer in the Philippines and attending Parsons School of Design， Cheng was ready to launch his own label. The industry is notoriously tough to break into， and the New York motto—”If you can make it here， you can make it anywhere”—certainly applies.

“There are thousands of designers in New York； people who come here and try to make their dream come true. It’s really hard. For me， I’m just trying to focus on the market I like： cocktail and eveningwear. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do，” Cheng says.

For the time being， Cheng says he is focusing on custom orders and has an eye on moving into production later. His newest collection features pieces that are bright， sparkly，“a little disco， a little old-Hollywood，” he says. He calls this time a chance to explore his own line， without the pressure of trying to develop anything for production. While friends have encouraged him to appear on popular TV design shows like Project Runway， Cheng says he prefers to stay behind the curtain for the time being and let his clothes take the spotlight.

“I give myself a year or two to see how this goes. Being a designer is my dream—-that’s why I came all the way to this country. So far I’m doing okay and I’m happy， but I’m still not there. It’s really hard，” Cheng says. “My goal is to have more people wear my clothes.”