Richard Chai, a Korean American, is also a New York native. Even at an early age he had a gift for fashion. He started his career with an internship at Geoffrey Beene as an undergraduate at Parsons School of Design. Soon after graduation, he studied at the Lisaa School in Paris, while working as a sketcher at Lanvin.
in 1998-2001 Chai was a Design Director for Marc Jacobs specifically for launch of “Marc” line. He became Creative Design Director of all TSE brands including men’s and women’s. This marked the first time in the company’s history that one single person is in charge of all brands, according to TSE.
Chai created his own company in 2004 after working for TSE for two years. His designs are known to be modern mix with old-world detailing such as hand stitching, bias tapes and French seams.
He also had won numerous recognitions including 2005 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award, inducted as a member of CFDA in 2007 and won Swarovski Menswear Designer of the year at the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards.