Malaysian Menswear Designer Dickson Lim’s Creation Made It To The Met Gala
Dickson Lim’s design was worn by celebrity stylist Ty Hunter.
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It was a proud moment for Sarawak-born menswear designer Dickson Lim when he spotted his bespoke creation at the Met Gala.
Lim’s design, a sharply tailored black suit, was worn by Ty Hunter, the renowned celebrity stylist for pop icon Beyonce.
Pictures of Hunter and Beyonce made the cover of the Wall Street Journal, and it left Lim in disbelief and pride.
I genuinely thought this was fake for a second. My designs on the front cover of the Wall Street Journal… alongside Beyonce.
Dickson Lim, menswear designer
According to Icon, Lim said Hunter contacted him weeks before the Met Gala to express his desire to wear Lim’s design to the biggest fashion event in the world. Lim said the celebrity stylist has been supporting him since he launched his first collection. They share the same values of hard work and obsession with detail.
Lim thanked Hunter for helping him realise a dream he never thought was possible. His designs have been worn by celebrities such as The Sandman actor Mason Alexander Park, Taiwanese star Kuan-Ting Liu, American rapper 24kGoldn, influencer Bretman Rock, and TikTok personality and film correspondent Reece Feldman on the Oscars 2023 red carpet.
The Met Gala is the world’s most prestigious and highest-earning fashion event for charity. It’s not the first time Malaysian fashion designers made a name for themselves abroad.
Zang Toi, known for his glamorous, timeless, and elegant designs, was discovered by Anna Wintour nearly 40 years ago.
In a video by Spectrum News, Zang Toi shared how a grocer’s son in Malaysia became a name in the fashion world. His dresses have graced the Met Gala and have been worn by Hollywood stars such as Sharon Stone, Eva Longoria, Patti LaBelle, Elizabeth Taylor, Farrah Fawcett, and Paris Hilton.
In August 1989, Zang Toi said he was a young and hungry designer who launched his first collection. He sent his one page sketch to all major fashion publications, and Vogue was the first to call back. He was told Anna loved his sketches and asked to borrow 13 pieces from his collection to be shown at a big fashion meeting. One of his dresses made the pages of Vogue that year.
At the 2022 Met Gala, fashion house Ralph Lauren was accused of plagiarising Zang Toi’s design. Musician Alicia Keys donned a bejewelled cape showing off the New York City skyline, and many thought it looked like a rip-off of Zang Toi’s New York floor-length silk cape that he debuted at the Autumn/Winter show for New York Fashion Week in February 2020.
During the cape controversy, Zang Toi said it wasn’t the first time his designs have been copied. He originally debuted the cape design in 2009 for his Spring collection, which was later worn by Malaysian model Ling Tan at the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards.
READ MORE: Did Ralph Lauren Steal M’sian Designer Zang Toi’s NY Cape For Met Gala? Netizens Think So
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