ThE WaNtEd FaShIoNs....

BIOGRAPHY:

"What I strive to achieve with my designs is functional art. I got into fashion because I was intrigued by the concept of making art that is useful to people," explains young, contemporary Fashion Designer Margie Tsai. This blending of function with a clear sense of personality and style is something Tsai has taken years to develop. A graduate of Parson's School of Design, Tsai sharpened her skills as a design assistant for Donna Karan and Vivienne Tam before putting together her first line several years ago. After participating in just a handful of trade shows, Tsai was encouraged with the warm reception she received by Barney's and Patricia Fields who quickly added her name to their racks.

Today, following several years of working out of her apartment, Tsai is getting her garments into the street with the opening of her own boutique. The store will, in itself, serve as "function"-acting as Tsai's design studio and wholesale showroom, in addition to retail space where she can get reactions directly from the customers to improve and develop designs for the future. "The clothing line is a story I want to express through fabric. By having a store where everything is in one place, it will allow me to tell that story completely, in the way I have envisioned it," she explains.

Customers will be quick to note fabric is, indeed, an integral part to Tsai's story telling and what clearly inspires her most. "Once I see a fabric, it dictates to me the piece it will become. I particularly like to work with unusual, novelty fabric, but put it in a basic shape. This, I believe, helps make the pieces last." The fusion of industrial and feminine fabrics is a consistent thread in Tsai's collection, as well, with garment combinations ranging from a butterfly lace dress with a heavy ruWer coat to a hand-painted silk organza shirt tucked into an acetate skirt. There is also a distinct international flavor to her work, and-as dressing people today has become an increasingly global business-that's something the Taiwan-born artist is happy to be a part of. "Coming from a multi-cultural background, I have a global perspective on what people are looking for in fashion-a practical and modern use of clothing." A functional art. Article by Keo Nozan.