Fong Leng was the first Dutch designer that gave Dutch fashion an extravagant and glamorous international appeal in the seventies. She is an inspiration for designers like Viktor & Rolf, who dedicated one of her shows to her.
In 1971 Fong Leng opens a studio on Amsterdam. For 10 years she designs the most incredible and spectacular haute couture creations. The robes. Her theatrical coatdresses and skirts with quilted applications are named ‘Bird of Paradise’ and ‘Chinese love couple’.
Her most famous client was the eccentric Mathilde Willink, also know as ‘the Living Work of Art’. For five years Mathilde, The lady Gaga of the seventies, bought her entire wardrobe at Fong Lengs studio, the creations costing 10 – 30 thousand Dutch guilders (5 to 15 thousands euro’s) a piece. Thanks to her extravagant lifestyle her husband and magic-realist painter, Carel Willink became more famous. In 1977 Mathilde was found dead in her own bed with a gun lying next to her, a still unsolved mystery.
Mathilde versus Gaga
In 1982 Fong Leng closed her studio and starts a new career in interior architecture and art.
Enjoy,
Nancy
