Vessels for Memory: Womenswear Designer Jasmine Chong on Craft, Storytelling, and Emotion
By Julia Gamolina
Jasmine Chong is a New York–based luxury womenswear designer known for her poetic, emotionally resonant collections favored by Kristen Stewart and Ali Wong. Rooted in her Malaysian-Indonesian heritage, her work evokes quiet glamour and romance, with pieces that feel both personal and timeless. A graduate of SAIC and Parsons, she trained at Anna Sui, Marchesa, and Tory Burch.
Jasmine is also the co-owner of Celestia alongside her brother Jason Tabalujan. Celestia is an Indonesian 45-meter phinisi yacht blending design and luxury hospitality, a Hospitality Design Awards finalist for Transportation, and recently named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places.
JG: I still remember when we first met, and how we talked about how I love fashion, and wanted to be a fashion designer at one point but became an architect, and you loved architecture, and became a fashion designer! Tell me what drew you to apparel design, and why you studied at the AIC and then at the New School.
JC: I filled sketchbooks with drawings of girls in outfits as a kid. My mother was a designer with her own line, so I grew up surrounded by fabric stores and the hum of a sewing machine. I started at the University of Virginia, then transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I received a fine-arts-based fashion education — immersed in sculpture, photography, film, and art history, alongside a technical and conceptual approach to design. The focus wasn’t just on wearability, but on translating ideas into form.
After graduating, I moved to New York and honed my skills in the design rooms at Anna Sui, Marchesa, and Tory Burch. Later, I attended Parsons to gain a deeper understanding of the business and marketing side of fashion — I knew early on that I wanted to build something of my own.
Tell me about your label. What did you want to put out into the world that didn't exist already?
When I was growing up in Malaysia, I didn’t see myself reflected in the designer racks — not in size, not in silhouette, not in sensibility. My mother and I would go to our tailor and have pieces made, because the things we wanted to wear didn’t quite exist. In many ways, my label was born from that — from a desire to create a world where both my mother and I could find pieces we loved, right off the rack.
I’ve always been drawn to softness, to garments that carry feeling. There’s a huge part of me that’s shaped by Southeast Asian glamour, being raised with my very glamorous grandmother and mother— with my Malaysian and Indonesian heritage — where craft, elegance, and personal storytelling live side by side. That deep respect for craftsmanship, and for clothing as a vessel for memory and identity, is at the heart of everything I create.
Jasmine Chong Resortwear 2025 Collection.
You were also recently on Amazon Prime Video's "Making the Cut"— how super cool! Tell me about this and what you learned from the experience.
Being on Making the Cut was one of those surreal moments where I felt like — for once — I could say yes to something as outlandish as reality TV. The Amazon Prime Video casting team found me in LA, and before I knew it, I was shuttled off to Paris, showing my work in front of a glimmering Eiffel Tower. That’s something I never imagined would happen to a girl from Kuala Lumpur.
What the experience taught me — more than anything — was the importance of staying true to myself. In a setting that was constantly moving and highly produced, I had to hold on to what I value most: intention, thoughtfulness, and emotional storytelling through clothes. Tim Gunn was wonderful — so wise and kind. Naomi Campbell and Nicole Richie were lovely too. And I now have so much respect for the sheer amount of work that goes into TV and film production. What you see on screen is really just a fraction of it.
It also made me realize that even though I can be social and expressive, I deeply value privacy. Being surrounded by cameras at all angles was a completely new experience. I’m still so grateful to have been chosen from thousands of designers — it was an experience that stretched me, challenged me, and ultimately grounded me even more in who I am as a designer, while exposing me to a global audience. Also, it was REALLY fun.
“That deep respect for craftsmanship, and for clothing as a vessel for memory and identity, is at the heart of everything I create.”
Tell me about your newest creation, Celestia Yacht.
Celestia was born during the depths of the pandemic. I was in New York, my brother Jason was in Jakarta, and our family was in Indonesia and Malaysia. With borders closed and travel paused, we started imagining our ultimate family vacation — something that brought together our shared history and love for the sea.
We grew up exploring islands, snorkeling, and falling in love with marine life. That love only deepened over time — not just for the ocean, but for the vast beauty of Indonesia’s island-studded archipelago. We have always been enamored with the phinisi yacht — a traditional Indonesian sailing vessel crafted entirely by hand, recognized as a UNESCO heritage art form. So, we built one.
Celestia is a 45-meter phinisi yacht, made of ironwood and teakwood, shaped by generationally skilled boatbuilders in South Sulawesi. She has seven staterooms — some with private terraces that open out directly onto the ocean — designed to feel both luxurious and deeply personal. Onboard, Michelin-trained Chef Wayan crafts menus that celebrate the flavors of the region, marrying Indonesian ingredients with global technique. Warm honeyed teak, duck egg blue hand-glazed Balinese tiles, and furniture by Balinese artisans and designer Alvin Tjitrowirjo create an atmosphere of refined ease. We worked closely with Deirdre Renniers — who also designed the Aman yacht — to bring that vision to life.
Celestia sails in the untouched waters of the Indonesian archipelago.
Jasmine aboard Celestia.
Looking back at it all now, what have been the biggest challenges in your career? How did you both manage through perceived disappointments or setbacks?
One of the biggest challenges has been staying true to the vision — even when that didn’t come with the kind of celebration or validation I hoped for. I think that’s a constant tension as a creative: making something deeply personal and then releasing it into the world, not knowing how it’ll be received.
There were definitely moments of perceived setbacks or disappointments, and I’ve had to learn that just because something doesn’t unfold the way you imagined doesn’t mean it wasn’t necessary. One of the hardest things, and maybe the most cliché-sounding, is the feeling of not belonging when you’re navigating something new. But of course you don’t belong — yet. And that’s actually a good thing. It means you’re growing. I think women especially could give ourselves more permission to show up with bold, even brash, confidence — even when it feels scary.
When I stepped into hospitality with Celestia, I was intimidated at first. I was trained in fashion — I didn’t come from that world. But I’ve realized how many parallels there are. In luxury fashion, I design pieces for women to live through their most intimate, powerful moments. With Celestia, it’s the same — except now it’s a space where our guests live out their milestones and memories.
“Invest in the skills that give structure to your ideas. The work doesn’t end at inspiration. It’s in the doing that your voice becomes clearer.”
What have you also learned in the last six months?
The past six months have been about finding balance. I spent the last few years pouring so much of myself into Celestia, and in that time, my label took a quieter role. Sometimes, one part of your life needs to fall into shadow while another catches the light — and that’s okay.
I also learned that sometimes, it’s better to just do; to stop overthinking and let go of the idea that everything has to be perfect. I recently launched The Bat & The Butterfly, my first collection in over a year — a deeply personal exploration of the tension between perfection and authenticity, inspired by a double exposure photograph and some inner truths I’d been working through. It’s been so well received, and it’s a reminder to trust the timing that feels right for you, not for anyone else. There’s no such thing as the perfect time — only the time you give yourself to create and share.
Who are you admiring now and why?
I admire Deirdre Renniers, who we worked with on Celestia. She works with this rare balance of intuition and specificity, and seeing how she collaborated so thoughtfully with our Indonesian team was incredibly inspiring.
I also admire our Cruise Director, Jennifer Tan. She manages a crew of seventeen in a largely male-dominated space with so much strength and tenacity, yet she brings such grace and care to every guest interaction. She leads with heart and presence, and that’s something I deeply respect.
And of course, Anna Sui. I had the chance to work under her early in my career, and what’s always stayed with me is how unwavering her vision is. She’s created her own universe and stayed true to it. That kind of creative conviction — to not chase trends, but build something lasting — is something I continually look up to.
Jasmine Chong silk dress on Celestia.
Since so much of our readership are architects, what do you think of when you think of architecture? How do you engage with architecture in your work?
I think of architecture in a way that’s very similar to how I see clothing: as a space to live out our moments, a vessel for memory. There’s something transcendent about architecture — not just the physicality of a space, but the layers of story, people, and life that move through it. In that sense, clothing is a kind of architecture too — one that’s worn on the body.
One of my favorite architects is Gaudí — I’ve always been inspired by his curves, his reverence for nature, and his resistance to straight lines. I designed a piece with curved seams and pockets that fall with a soft drape, which eventually became the Archer Jacket in my line. I love the idea that just as we evolve and move through the world, so do our spaces — whether that means shifting furniture, rehanging art, or simply changing the buttons on a coat.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
Take the time to figure out what really moves you — the textures, ideas, literature, and art that spark something in you. Sit with those instincts. There’s no shortcut to developing a strong personal vision or taste — that comes from observation, reflection, and time.
Alongside that, learn your craft. Whether it’s tailoring, patternmaking, construction, or something entirely different — invest in the skills that give structure to your ideas. The work doesn’t end at inspiration. It’s in the doing that your voice becomes clearer.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.