Katie Fong opens Greenwich store

Greenwich resident Katie Fong launched her eponymous and distinctly haute couture brand in 2013. Now she has opened her first store, The Katie Fong Boutique in Greenwich.

Katie Fong, founder and CEO of Katie Fong LLC.

“Having a storefront will allow us to work more closely with our growing client list,” Fong, founder, CEO and creator director of Katie Fong LLC, said.

When Fong launched her brand at age 22, she was using her parents”™ basement as a workspace. Soon after, she moved to Manhattan”™s Garment District and now, two years later, has found a home for her designs at 60 Lewis St.

“There is a growing niche for affordable luxury goods that replicate many of the details found in haute couture brands, as well as a need for women in prominent positions to have custom designs,” Fong said.

For this initiative, Fong is partnering with Taigan, an online marketplace, to offer select products that complement her designs.

This is Taigan”™s first retail collaboration.

“As an e-commerce marketplace focused on helping designers build and grow their businesses, we are thrilled to partner with Katie on her first brick-and-mortar store,” Elizabeth Nichols, CEO of Taigan, said. “We believe that the Taigan designers she has chosen to present in her new store will be additive to the shopping experience.”

The boutique features Fong”™s ready-to-wear collection, including this season”™s selection of floral prints and lace with splashes of color.

Part of Fong”™s business includes custom design. Clients can select templates for tops and skirts and customize the color, fabric and size, or they can go the made-to-measure route, where Fong creates a garment entirely from scratch. The custom option has been more popular for events such as graduations and galas; the made-to-measure for weddings.

With either option, Fong”™s shop provides a greater opportunity for the designer to meet directly with clients to serve their style needs.

Fong”™s collection is also available at Richards of Greenwich, Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco and through taigan.com.

This article was first published in WAG magazine, the Business Journal”™s sister publication.