Elemental design

Tam, born in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, moved to Hong Kong in 1960 when she was 3. In 1981, she went to New York to study. Her bi-cultural upbringing in Hong Kong and studies in the United States have cultivated an East-meets-West aesthetic.

Water-like Tam uses Zen in her creations

In 1993, she launched her first label East Wind Code, which wowed the Western fashion industry with modern qipao-inspired pieces featuring clean lines, Asian prints and delicate embroidery.

Her works were soon featured in Women's Wear Daily, which is known as "the bible of fashion" and were picked up by museums such as the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The 55-year-old designer recalls that she used to go to the Chinese Department Store during her early years in Hong Kong. "There were no changes. It seemed like souvenirs", and she decided she wanted to transform the traditional Chinese style into something modern.

"In the fashion world, everybody was looking to the Western brands, but I wanted to develop my own identity. I wanted to design something I believe in. I believe in my own culture," Tam says.

To many Westerners, Chinese design is very limited: bright yellow and red, the dragon and the phoenix, Chinese characters, ink-and-wash paintings, qipao or Mao suits. Tam is well aware of that it is more than that.

"There is some difference between how we see our culture and how Westerners see Chinese culture. They live in a very superficial (Chinese) world, Susie Wong, Chinese food, Chinese medicine, kung fu, and so on," Tam says. "For Chinese people, we are living in this culture. Sometimes it is quite hard for us to get away from it."

"Because Westerners only understand it superficially, they can create something very different. That abstract thinking allows them to have more freedom to do something. So my pieces are a combination of Chinese culture and their culture."

She draws a comparison when she first went to the United States and was thrilled to find a Chinese restaurant in the heart of New York. However, she found the food was different. At the end of her meal, she was served with a fortune cookie, inside of which she found a small piece of paper with motto, something she'd never experienced before.

Tam stresses that she is trying to deliver something more than just a flavor of China to the rest of the world.

"The fashion world is fast-paced. It is about surface. But I want to bring something much deeper to the world besides fashion. I want to bring something beyond fashion, something about balance, energy and life, all that makes you better," she says.