OCTOBER 2017 FORBES ASIA | 77ZANG TOIning gowns started at $ 13 ,000, and the priciest item was a
$38,000 silk-lined coat hand-embroidered with Swarovs-
ki crystals.
He says his new Lexington Avenue boutique offers both
special-order and ready-to-wear pieces, including some
in the $1, 8 00 to $2, 3 00 range, “so more people can afford
Zang Toi.”
His operation is lean—his entire team consists of 17 peo-
ple, including tailors, seamstresses, cutters, two assistants and
an office manager—and is spread across 3 ,000 square feet on
the 2 0th floor of a Manhattan high-rise. It’s a point of pride
for him that he’s always handled his own publicity.
These days, he considers himself an “elder statesman”
in the industry. He’s pleased to see the emergence of
prominent young Asian designers in America, from the
Thai-born Thakoon Panichgul to Taiwan-born Jason Wu,who has dressed Michelle Obama.
While he—and those who came after him—crossed
oceans to make it in New York, he thinks the power centers
of fashion are shifting and spreading across the globe. For
example, he sees China, once regarded as only a low-cost
manufacturing base, riding on its long history, rich culture
and new wealth to become a fashion capital. It may take 10,
15 or 2 0 years, he says, but it will happen.
Toi, who holds a U.S. green card, isn’t a citizen and can’t
vote, but says he wrote a check to Trump’s campaign. “I’m a
supporter. I think he’s good for business. I travel all around
the country. I’m friends with the working class. I hear their
worry. A lot of them just want a full-time job, education
for their kids. I wasn’t surprised when Donald won.” To i
says his business has picked up since Trump was elected:
“Women are shopping again.”Zang Toi at his recently opened boutique in Manhattan: “I’ve always had the spirit of entrepreneurship. I love to sell.”
FMATTHEW FURMAN FOR FORBES