DESIGNER MAGGIE FAN FLIPS THE PAGE ON FASHION WITH TANG CHI COUTURE
When someone achieves a pivotal milestone, it often brings a mix of joy and introspection. Maggie Fan understood this conflicting state of mind when she graduated from the Parsons School of Design in 2025. After dedicating four years to her degree, the most logical thing was to keep working. And so, she did.
Though internships and freelance work kept her close to fashion, Fan felt called in a different direction. In today’s overwhelming job market, where endless applications are part of pursuing a full-time position, she secretly dreamt of her own independence instead. At a crossroads between stability or investing in herself, she made a decision that would transform her world as she knew it.
Now working her dream job, Fan has established herself as a full-time designer of the rising fashion label Tang Chi Couture. Based in New York City, the avant-garde brand reimagines classic silhouettes with striking details that have made their mark in the editorial industry. After a long studio day, Fan sat down with EnVi over Zoom to share the chapters of her trials and triumphs.
FROM TAIWAN, TO THE BIG APPLE
Some people found their earliest aspirations in celebrities, but for others, it struck closer to home. Raised in Taiwan, Fan spent much of her childhood watching her mother and sister fall in love with fashion. It all started with her mother’s walk-in closet dedicated to every piece she owned. Before Get Ready With Me routine videos became popular, Fan recalled, “She really brings those kinds of inspirational moments into how people dress up for events.”
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, as Fan watched her sister step into a career in fashion. Styling photoshoots and dabbling as a collector of archive books, Fan admitted she “always snuck into her room and just looked at those beautiful images.”
After moving from Taiwan to the United States, Fan has proudly called herself a New Yorker for over six years. Beyond being one of the world’s fashion capitals, she pointed out that “you might get sick of New York City, but you would never get bored in New York City.”
But while New York may be the birthplace of Tang Chi Couture, Fan has never forgotten her roots. Many of her designs reflect the natural forms of objects found in Taiwan’s environment, but also extends to her work style. “We live at a much slower pace than New York so it really affected me to have me slow down in my design process,” she explained.
By merging the realities of her upbringing with creative vision, Fan built a world that feels both personal and imaginative.
INTO THE MIND OF TANG CHI
Although coffee table books and print magazines have regained popularity, its importance has never faded in Fan’s mind. With each collection, she approaches preliminary research through collecting rather than scrolling. “When you design a fashion collection, you shouldn’t only look at the inspiration involved in fashion,” she advised. “You need to look more outside of the world, like all of the art pieces in exhibitions.”
Discussing her SS26 collection, Fan emphasized the importance of grounding concepts in real-life observations. Soon after, she enjoyed freely experimenting with sketching and draping. “You design while you create something in the process and then I lend it to the things that I like,” she said.
The story of each Tang Chi Couture piece begins in the details, starting with moodboards. Every choice is thought out, guided by inner thoughts such as: Is this the color that I want for this collection? Should there be a pop of color in there? Is it too dark or too light? It’s an essential part to visualizing and maintaining each collection’s aesthetic from beginning to end.
Though time is of the essence, there’s one perk to having her own couture brand according to Fan. In her eyes, its overwhelming sense of community is what she treasures most. “I enjoy seeing all those creatives out there, like the stylists or artists, how they sort of restyle my garments and give new life into the clothing that I created,” she explained. Noting the industry’s variety in perspective and interpretation, “It’s like a different aspect and perspective that I could give into my own clothing, so it’s definitely interesting to see that.”
Like most creatives, Fan’s career hasn’t always followed a linear path. However, she approaches the ups and downs of her journey through sticking with her gut instead of fear.
THE STEPPING STONES
Many designers dream of presenting at Fashion Week, displaying their pride and joy to the most influential voices in the industry. For Fan, that dream became a reality last year at Flair Fashion’s runway showcase in London. But naturally, there are always hurdles to overcome with opportunities this big. She shared her feelings of concern at that time, “I was a little doubtful whether I should launch this couture brand. They reached out to me a few times when I was in college, but I never felt like I was ready for that kind of commitment.” But Fan later saw Tang Chi Couture was never a dream deferred, it became exactly what it was meant to be.
One year after graduating from Parsons, Fan made a huge step towards the right direction by finally saying yes to going out of her comfort zone. “It was definitely a big challenge because it’s the first runway that introduced my couture brand and it was overseas in London,” Fan reminisced. “So it had so many challenges, but I guess I’m the person who really likes to walk out of my comfort zone and take these kinds of challenges to push myself.” The event delivered the visuals of her SS26 collection “Silent Marks,” but was also a full circle moment. “I studied abroad at CSM during college. So I really miss London, I love London. The vintage markets that I used to go to, like all those memories sort of came back,” Fan excitedly recounted.
After establishing her presence in the industry as a force to be reckoned with, Tang Chi Couture was finally ready to be shared with the world.
FINDING THE MUSES
Less than three months after her London debut, Tang Chi Couture expanded their boundaries to LA through a showroom partnership with L.E.R. Public Relations. Soon after, Fan learned one of her designs had caught the eyes of celebrity stylist Enrique Melendez.
The actress Leah Sava Jeffries stunned in SS26 look “Tick-Tock” for the season two premiere of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians in December 2025. What came as a total surprise to Fan turned into a viral red carpet moment.
“The accessories were initially inspired by the hour hands on the clock, so I think he sort of related that to the siren and anchor vibes in the show,” Fan shared.
Melendez also made a modification to the original look that intrigued Fan. “He switched the back of the necklace to the front so the long part kind of resonates with the anchor of the show, and that’s really interesting,” she noted.
While Jeffries has emerged as a defining figure for Tang Chi Couture, the brand finds inspiration from more than one familiar face. Prior to her intense love of fashion, Fan was first and foremost a Little Monster — the name given to musical artist Lady Gaga’s biggest fans. Fan shared, “I grew up listening to her music in elementary school, like me and my dad would play her music in our cars so I really love her.” Finding appreciation for the evolution of Gaga’s style throughout the years, Fan always applauded her for being fearless even if that risked standing out. Actress Anya Taylor-Joy also emerged in conversation, with Fan describing her dark but elegant aesthetic is exactly what Tang Chi Couture embodies.
TURNING A NEW PAGE
Looking ahead, the brand’s identity will be defined by storytelling that blends dark romance with elegance. While Fan continues building the brand behind the scenes, this next chapter is only just beginning.
Laying out all cards on the table, Fan revealed, “I am planning to do a collection this year. My goal for this year is to really create a new collection and then to participate in New York Fashion Week to have my own show.” Expanding upon anything in your world requires deep contemplation with your past, which is exactly what Fan’s taken time to do. “For the first collection, I kind of held back because I wanted to observe what feedback the industry would give me. But for now, I think I’m ready to push further and challenge myself to do more experimental work,” she added.
Fan sees Tang Chi Couture scaling up its creative concepts through numerous avenues. “I definitely want to reach out to more stylists to have different creative collaborations. I want to participate more in the art and creative side, like maybe to do more films,” she said. She hopes to utilize New York City to execute more of her own photoshoots there.
As for her secret to maintaining longevity in her work: “Have a kind mindset and don’t be too easily influenced by other people’s opinions. It’s really, really important or else you’ll get too many unhealthy breakdowns throughout this journey. But yeah, just try to stay true to yourself,” she shared.
And if this self-proclaimed workaholic ever finds herself stressed out, you’ll find her exploring a dog park to ease her mind. “I think, and especially New York, is such a great place for a lot of amazing parks so that’s my favorite place to be in”, she noted. Even then, Fan still subconsciously takes in the little things around her which might just make it in another collection one day. So New York City may be Fan’s campus, but Tang Chi Couture is stepping into a whole new world.
Want to hear more stories about rising creatives in fashion? Check out our exclusive feature with Sujin Gwon, founder of Pink Pen PR!
