Farah Angsana

Fashion was a part of Farah since she was a young girl flipping through magazines and stopping on pages that featured the timelessly glamorous work of designers. She began designing her mother’s and sister’s wardrobes before she even had the basic skills of sketching or draping.

Farah took up the formal study of the elements of fashion design and haute couture technique at the Central School of Fashion in London, from which she graduated in 1992. There, while studying draping techniques she learned about the luminaries’ work of couture, like Madame Gres, who dressed royalty and Hollywood’s most glamorous stars and whose obsession with elegance once led her to use over 100 meters of cloth in a single dress! Farah was also able to learn more about the techniques used by her hero Valentino and his mentor, the famed Jean Desses.

Before long Farah was bringing her passion to the market, launching her own line of cocktail eveningwear. For two years she filled a constant flow of orders. Believing that the logical next step was to bring her designs to Paris, Farah became the first and only Indonesian born (she was raised in Singapore, Los Angeles and London) designer to present her collection in Paris.

Bringing new cultural and ethnic qualities to haute couture she attracted a flurry of attention, and soon found herself amidst advisors who helped guide her career for the next 6 years. Though well intentioned, their guidance led her into designing sportswear and menswear and, despite critical acclaim, Farah did not see her orders growing.

Farah began to look at what had worked for her originally and started sketching eveningwear and couture designs for women once again. Taking the reins of her company back into her own hands she created a line of 28 pieces, showed them at the Ritz –Paris during Paris Fashion Week and caused such a stir from some international buyers. Between the press and the orders, the excitement and demand building for her spring 2008 collection, which show in NY last September, and gained much great press and reviews. Best of all Farah, a one-woman business who now splits her time between Paris, Zurich, Italy and around the world, has found success exactly where she always wanted to be – where fantasy and reality come together in creations that make women look elegant and beautiful.