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Carven Ong gives us an insight into his preparation for his first Met Gala, his upcoming plans and more

- JOAN KONG

Having been in the industry for over 30 years, fashion designer Carven Ong is undoubtedly one of the “OGs” in the Malaysian fashion scene, but a quick search online will lead you to an array of stories chronicling his international claim to fame — his work on the 2018 Hollywood hit Crazy Rich Asians. His spectacular bridal design for Araminta Lee’s wedding scene was truly an iconic moment.

Fast forward five years (and multiple invitations) later, he’s gearing up to attend his first Met Gala as the designer for his client who’ll be walking the red carpet. Ahead of his exciting trip, we sat down with the softspoken designer to get a behind-the-scenes look at his head-turning design, his thoughts on this year’s theme, his next project and more.

You’ll be attending your first Met Gala this year! How do you feel? 

As a Malaysian designer, it’s a dream to be able to be a part of such a sought-after event. To be able to dress an attendee and rub shoulders with celebrities and designers — I’m sure it’ll be a very interesting experience, so I’m quite excited about that.

Tell us more about who you’re dressing.

I’m dressing a longtime client of mine — engineering scientist Miria Kaname Feng who’s also a regular in the fashion scene. She watched Crazy Rich Asians on a flight a few years back and when she saw the wedding look, she immediately wanted to find out who the designer behind the dress was.