The Designer

Scottish born with South African roots and Chinese heritage, Joanne Jong from an early age had an instinctive understanding of drape and flow and a passion for its interaction with the human form.

Apprenticing herself to couture designers in London and Paris, Joanne was able to watch and learn from their creativity and absorb the intricate skills and precise handwork of the ateliers.

Joanne completed her Masters at the Royal College of Art where training enhanced and refined her early love of colour and shape. Milan was a logical next step and here she was able to combine her design talents with her entrepreneurial flair, translating and interpreting what she’d learnt and adapting it successfully to RTW.

In 1996 she was invited to join Giorgio Armani as Design Director of the womenswear ‘Le Collezioni’. Responsible not only for design of the range and different product lines, her brief included supervision of the brand and advertising campaigns. Working closely with Armani, she was the first in-house designer dedicated solely to the development of this collection.

In 1999 Joanne moved on to create her own signature label Yulan, and concurrently launched a consultancy studio whose client list included Missoni, Cantarelli, Maska and Exte. 2002 saw her return to London where she continues to work with her international clients as well as attracting a prestigious UK list including Joan & David, Daks Simpson, The Austin Reed Group and The White Company.