Yeohlee

(1955- )

   Born in Georgetown, Malaysia, of Chinese/Muslim background, she attended the Parsons School of Design and eventually opened her own company in 1981. Her unique use of fabric, concentrating on architectural form (inspired by her brothers, both of whom are architects) is one of her trademarks. Yeohlee's cape design, a mainstay in all of her collections, has earned her the moniker of "designing for the urban nomad" (from her 1997 Urban Nomad Collection)—one who is confident, sophisticated, and seeks uncomplicated functional clothing. She is unusual among fashion designers in that she is known for intelligent design and does not follow fashion trends. Her use of architectural and geometrical elements, minimal cutting and seaming details, conservation of textiles, one-size-fits-all sizing, and pioneering of high-tech textiles are all hallmarks of her unique design philosophy. Exhibitions of her work include Intimate Architecture: Contemporary Clothing Design at the Hayden Gallery at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1982), Fashion in Motion at the Victoria & Albert Museum (2000), and Yeohlee: Supermodern Style at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (2001). Her book, Yeohlee: Work Material Architecture, was published in 2003. In 2004, Yeohlee won the prestigious National Design Award from the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.