The Story of Toronto’s Famous Cheongsam Designer

If you ask around for a custom-made, neatly detailed, and quality enriched “cheongsam” tailor in Toronto, a group of people will suggest her name. She also knows how popular she is, and she credits it all to her creative and determined mind. She is Alice Ko.

Ko, 68, specializes in making Chinese bridal dresses called “cheongsam” in the Cantonese language or, qipao as it’s known in Mandarin. The word “cheongsam” translates to “long dress” or “shirt”, while the “qipao” translates to “banner dress”. Traditionally, cheongsam is a silk, slim fitting one-piece dress that has two high splits at the sides. It is worn to special occasions. Historically, the cheongsam was once a loose straight dress, that hid the shape and femininity of women. They weren’t what we would call fashionable and it wasn’t until the 1920s that the “traditional” cheongsam dresses we know of today, started to emerge.

Today’s Chinese bridal cheongsams are red silk body-hugging dresses with gold and silver embroidery. Ko praises herself for being one of the first designers to modernize the traditional bridal dresses in Toronto.

From a young age, Ko had always loved to sew and design clothes. She said she only sewed for herself and displayed her clothes by wearing them to special functions. It wasn’t until she immigrated to Canada in 1975 that she started thinking about showcasing her talent. A fashion show turned her into a cheongsam superstar. “40 years ago, we had to raise funds for the Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation, that involves several Chinese communities across the GTA. I remember pitching my idea to the foundation as I was expected to provide some sort of entertainment in a segment for a fashion show,” Ko said.

She thought about how the fashion show was an awesome idea but wanted to do something that no one had thought about. She decided to feature Chinese cheongsam dresses in her segment and the rest is history.

“At that time, the Chinese cheongsam was in the background fading away and no one really thought about it because no one wears them anymore. They asked me, ‘why do you want to do that? are you crazy?’, I responded by saying we are a Chinese community raising funds for a Chinese geriatric care centre, I think it is appropriate. After much discussion, they agreed,” Ko said.

Although she was nervous about creating her own collection, she said she believed in her skills and ability. She received a lot of praise from friends and strangers regarding the cheongsam dresses she made and wore herself and she decided to create three distinctive lines in her cheongsam collection.

“The first was the Chinese traditional cheongsam. The second was the Chinese cheongsam but with a Westernized twist. Then the third was something totally different. At that time, there was a board member who was very good with Chinese calligraphy named Arden Pang. I thought why not make six dresses of different colors and have him paint on them. The third line became the first-ever Chinese calligraphy cheongsam,” said Ko.

“The concept was so new and different that when the Chinese media who came to the event saw it, they all wanted to interview me. Then came radio, TV stations and I became famous,” Ko said. Ko later participated in various pageant shows in Toronto and Vancouver hosted by the Canadian Cantonese channel called Fairchild TV.

Ko still has people coming from different parts of Ontario to have her sew cheongsams, especially bridal cheongsams. She has modernized her bridal wear from the traditional silk to offer lace and satin varieties. She also adds bridal trains and keyholes at the back of the cheongsam, all at a bride’s request. She says these details make it more up to date.

“Because I was in a position where I was doing various pageant shows, I had to constantly challenge myself. Also, you do not want to see the same thing every year,” she said.

Although Bin Li, 49, did not wear a qipao at her wedding, she said that it was because it wasn’t popular at that time when she married.

She does wear causal qipaos, saying she often She wears causal qipaos, saying she often wears them to work. She wears causal qipaos, saying she often wears them to work. Li says, “I love the qipao and that’s why I wear it. Although it is not a popular clothing here in Canada, I still wear it for special occasions.”

“Usually at wedding ceremonies, brides would wear a white dress, but then would later change to into a qipao for a tea ceremony or reception,” Li said.

She also explained the significance of a phoenix on a bride’s cheongsam/qipao. “Traditionally, a dragon represents a man, that’s why we refer to an emperor as the son of the dragon. For a woman, an empress is the phoenix, meaning it refers to a woman. This is why we have a phoenix on a bridal qipao,” Li said.

In Chinese culture, red represents good luck and prosperity. It is also seen as a color that can protect people from evil spirits. “Red is a Chinese happy color, while white in Chinese culture is for funerals,” Ko said.

Last year she sewed a cheongsam for her niece, Kerri Ko, who walked down the aisle on the 11th of March 2016.

Kerri described the design of the dress as a sleeveless lace embroidery fishtail that has a mandarin collar. She wasn’t involved in the dressmaking process because she trusted her aunt. The cheongsam took a month to sew. Kerri sent her measurements, spoke to Ko about what she would like and let her go about to do her work.“I wasn’t involved much in making the dress, because Alice is a professional tailor. I totally trusted her. She knows what I like and what styles I want,” Kerri said.

She wanted the dress to showcase her inner beauty and Ko did just that by bringing Kerri’s dream bridal cheongsam to life.

“It was very special when I wore it. I was nervous, happy and emotional. I felt everyone turning and looking at me. The cheongsam has wonderful designs and fitted exactly the way I wanted it to be. It showcased my curves, but was comfortable and allowed me to move freely,” she said.

Ko is on the path of retirement, which she decided to embark on two years ago. Although she closed down her shop in Richmond Hill, she still takes customers from time to time. She has customers from daughters, nieces and friends of people who she once made bridal cheongsams for.

Ko says she has a passion for educating and making sure the cheongsam lives on. That although she is retired she still loves making them and hopes they live on in the hearts of youths and Canada.