One of the designs, the Penelope gown, is an interpretation of that balance. The silky dress, with a high neckline, thigh-high split and low back, has proven so popular, it is now a permanent fixture on the brand’s roster, available in a spectrum of colours. Leung’s secret to balancing aesthetics and practicality comes from her creative process.

“I start with the women around me and [take inspiration from] the women in my life and also the role models that I see worldwide,” says the designer. “I like to think about their desires, what they need in their wardrobe, and what would make them feel special and beautiful for all the occasions that they need to attend on their social calendar.”

“When I think of [how to reference] Chinese style, the purpose is really to take inspiration [from] and capture the essence of the craftsmanship, and inject it into contemporary design,” says the US-born, Hong Kong-raised Leung. “I always wanted to be able to represent my heritage.”

Reaching this goal includes having a number of design elements, such as frog buttons, made by hand by artisans. Playfulness and sensuality are also at the heart of the brand; Leung combines these elements, always being mindful of the fact that non-Asian customers will want to avoid accusations of cultural appropriation.

“The main thing we want to strive for is to be able to share our culture and heritage with the rest of the world. And we are very happy [to] design for women of every age, race, colour—we want everybody to be able to enjoy our dresses,” she says. “One of the things that I love about the cheongsam, for example, is that it perfectly balances elegance with sexiness. It’s always been a form-fitting silhouette: you’ve got the beautiful high neckline, high slits on the side ... so it’s always been this perfect play on sexiness and elegance.”

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With between ten and 20 new designs each season, Sau Lee’s designs are wardrobe staples, ranging from sequined mini dresses to tulle gowns, suited to being worn year round, whether by the host of the party or guest of honour, the bride-to-be or best-dressed guest.

For upcoming seasons, Leung says, “We are still very much into colour; we are still really delving into this modern glamour that we tried to emulate with all our pieces.” The latest resort 2024 collection offers crystal-embellished cheongsam and feather-trimmed floral mini dresses that we can’t wait to see at year-end parties.

Speaking of celebrations, Leung is looking forward to marking Sau Lee’s tenth anniversary next year. She is opening a physical showroom in Hong Kong’s Central district, where women can get together and hype each other up as they try on clothes, in much the same way as she and her girlfriends did growing up.

“We’re going to invite girls here to drink champagne, try on dresses and experience a lifestyle,” Leung says. “This is a feeling and a brand experience that we want to emulate elsewhere in the world.” The party will continue with the launch of of a line of handbags in a couple of months. “It’s kind of the perfect plus-one to the dress,” Leung says. “It’s everything that our customers love about the dresses and our aesthetic, and we injected that into handbags.”

Beyond her hometown, Leung is setting her sights on the global scene. “Our focus in the next couple of years is to really expand into Europe, the rest of Southeast Asia, mainland China,” she says. “We have a lot of potential and interest from other markets, and just from the community that we’ve built, so we’re really looking to capture that.”

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