Touted as 'The New Choo', in 2004 Ong was named by The Independent newspaper as one of the Top Ten leading shoe designers, joining the likes of Manolo Blahnik.
Beatrix Ong founded Beatrix Ong in 2002 and the debut collection, was featured in Vogue, Elle and Vanity Fair and continues to have a constant presence amongst international fashion press as well as television and film.
Beatrix ong talks about being shot as sade by boy george
Early life
Beatrix Ong was born in London, England. She attended King George Vth School in Hong Kong and then was educated at Roedean School in Brighton, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, London College of Communication, Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Cordwainers College in London.
2002–2008
Beatrix Ong began her career in fashion as an intern at Harper's Bazaar in New York. At age 22 she became Creative Director at Jimmy Choo Couture. After assisting British handbag designer Lulu Guinness design her much acclaimed first footwear collection, Beatrix Ong launched her eponymous label in 2002.
2004, the first Beatrix Ong boutique opened in London's Primrose Hill. Later that year she was commissioned by the Financial Times to design a boot that was displayed in their London offices.
2005, Beatrix created an illustration for Buena Vista International and its film release Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The illustration was showcased at 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Science Museum Exhibition' in London.
2006, Ong worked with acclaimed artist, Natasha Law on the design of her limited edition shoe boxes.
2007, The Beatrix Ong flagship boutique moved to the oldest arcade in the world, Burlington Arcade, in Mayfair, London. The launch party was attended by British socialites including Poppy Delevingne. DJs included Al Doyle of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem.
2008, The men's shoe collection was launched under the name Ong London. Named after British film directors, the collection was an instant success.
2008–2013
2009, In Style magazine's Style Prediction for 2009 names Beatrix Ong the 'Hot Accessories Label of the Year'.
For Spring Summer, Beatrix Ong collaborated with Dover Street Market with shoes exclusively for London's leading style emporium. 2009 also saw the launch of the new limited edition shoe boxes. Illustrator Neal Murren, who previously worked for Jil Sander, Prada and Levi's, created the new boxes inspired by Beatrix. They became collectors items, as with the previous boxes illustrated by Natasha Law.
The second half of 2009 saw Beatrix Ong customise Nike iD Blazer Trainers that were available for a limited period only. Ong also joined forces with handmade luxury luggage brand Globe-Trotter to create an exclusive special edition range of travel cases.
In November 2009, the Beatrix Ong concept store was launched in London's Newburgh Quarter Carnaby Street in Central London for a limited period only. To finish the year and after being a Corporate Partner of the English National Ballet for a year, Beatrix Ong accepted the role of one of ENB's Gala Committee members.
2010, Beatrix Ong's customised Nike Blazer for women became available on Harvey Nichols' new 4th floor dedicated to street fashion, while the new Beatrix Ong collection was launched at Liberty of London.
In the Spring, after providing the Autumn/Winter 2010 show shoes for British heritage brand, Aquascutum, Beatrix Ong announced her commission from Aquascutum to design and produce shoes for both men and women. It was the first time in Aquascutum's 160-year history that a footwear collection was designed for them. This was followed by a Beatrix Ong shop-in-shop being opened within the Aquascutum flagship shop on Regent Street, London.
In this year, Ong started to gain profile recognition when her portrait was taken by acclaimed musician and photographer, Bryan Adams. Ong was photographed again by another legendary musician – 80s icon Boy George for the Hep C Trust's 'Get Tested' Campaign, launched in February 2011.
In May, Beatrix Ong delivered a speech at The Clothworkers' Hall, London as Guest Speaker at The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers' annual white-tie Dinner. She was later invited to become an honorary liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers (one of the City of London's most historic and long-established livery companies), denoting Ong's achievements in the craft of footwear.
In November, Beatrix Ong hosted a special screening at the Apollo Piccadilly of a movie that depicts her great uncle, Dr Sun Yat Sen. Supported by Asia House, the screening featured a special talk and Q&A with Beatrix's uncle, Mr Peter Sun, great nephew of Dr Sun Yat-Sen, Director of Sun Yat-sen Foundation, Director Soon Ching Ling Foundation, Advisor Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Education and Charity Foundation.
In the growing stable of Beatrix Ong short films, Beatrix commissioned Director Mark Jubber, co-founder of EXIT Magazine to shoot and edit a film entirely on the then newly launched iPhone 4. The concept created by Beatrix resulted in a campaign film starring World Pole Dancing Champion, Elena Gibson in her studio, uncovering some of Beatrix Ong's key styles of the season.
The end of 2010 saw the opening of the Beatrix Ong store at 188 Pavilion Road, Chelsea, London.
In 2011, at only 34 years old, Ong was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in Her Majesty The Queen's 2011 New Year Honours for services to the fashion industry.
Ong presented the Royal Wedding of Catherine Middleton to Prince William in April with James Chau for Central Chinese Television. It made history as the first broadcast of a Royal and religious event to China and is said to have captured an audience of 200 million viewers in China alone.
2013–2015
2013, Beatrix Ong joined Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and UK Prime Minister, David Cameron on delegations to China to promote British creativity.
2014, Ong curated and designed the Water Pavilion, a retail space in Suzhou, China.
In April 2015, Ong was a member of the delegation of His Royal Highness Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge to China as part of the GREAT Festival of Creativity.
Beatrix Ong collaborated with Grey Goose Vodva to produce a limited bottle, which sold in auction to benefit the Central St Martins Scholarship Fund.
In the summer of 2015, SpongeBob by Beatrix Ong was launched at colette Paris. The collaboration with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products consists of a luxury range of SpongeBob SquarePants accessories, homewares and selection of apparel. The five-year agreement sees the designer release a collection of products in selected retailers and international territories including Europe, Asia and North America.
In October 2015, Beatrix Ong launched The New Concept Collection with the Design Museum in London. The shoes are sustainably made using recycled, reused and excess stock of materials.
2016-Present
In April 2016, Ong was commissioned by Wallpaper* Magazine to design furniture for its Handmade issue. The piece was included at the Wallpaper* Hotel exhibition during Salone del Mobile, in Milan.
Personal life
Beatrix Ong became a committee member of the English National Ballet from 2010 to 2013. She is currently a member of the Gala Committees for the London College of Fashion, the British Film Institute and Historical Royal Palaces. Ong also sits on the Development and Communications Committee for the Design Museum, London.
Beatrix Ong is also an Honorary Freeman of one of the oldest Livery Companies in the United Kingdom, The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, prior to receiving Freedom of the City of London in 2012.
Beatrix Ong was born in London, England. Ong is the youngest of three daughters. Her great uncle is Sun Yat Sen, the Chinese Revolutionary and the first President of the Republic of China.
