Bernard Foong is, first and foremost, a sensitivist. He finds nuance in everything. To experience the world he inhabits is an adventure which is mystical, childlike and refreshing. He has a rare ability to create beauty in a unique fashion. His palettes have been material, paint, words and human experiences.
By
Christine Maynard (screenwriter and novelist)
Bernard Foong (designer) – A brief history
Born
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the age of 8, he was assisting his aunt and cousin,
learning the art of sewing and fabrics/colors matching. He attended an
exclusive private boarding school in the United Kingdom before obtaining his
Diploma in Fashion Design at the Harrow College of Art & Technology in
London, England. He went on to complete
his Master of Design at the Royal College of Art & Design, London, England.
During his college years he won several international fashion awards and was
already retailing bridal and evening dresses to several well known department
stores in England. Liberty of London, Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols to
name a few that carried his designs. His Royal College of Art graduation
wedding/evening wear collection was sold to Liberty of London and displayed in
their store windows for the entire month of June that year.
For
four years, he worked for Liberty’s bridal department as their in-house
designer until a trip to Hong Kong, while working on a freelance project for
‘Bird’s’(casual wear) company, he was recruited by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
as their Fashion professor for the next 6 years. During his stay in Hong Kong,
he freelanced for numerous fashion companies. From designing casual wear,
swimwear, lingerie, and fur garments, men’s wear, bridal and evening fashions
to accessories (bags, shoes, and head-wear). He also participated and organized
numerous fashion shows, events, functions, and presentations in the Asia
Pacific region.
Working
for Keys Far East Hong Kong as chief lingerie designer - travelling extensively
to the United States, he was soon
recruited as an Associate Fashion Design/Illustration Professor to the
University of Wisconsin, Madison and also lectured at the Minneapolis College
of Art & Design for a couple of years.
He
was then appointed as the Fashion Development Manager by an established
department store – Parkson Grand (22 stores in Malaysia and one in Shanghai,
China). Producing under the label, Natural Life by Bernard Foong, he designed
casual-wear collections for the Parkson Grand’s flagship store in Kuala Lumpur.
After a couple of years later, he was invited by the Temasek Polytechnic,
Singapore to join their design school to establish a Fashion Design department.
For two years, he assisted several founding members of the design school -
working on the fashion department’s teaching curriculum.
The
Fitzgerald Theatre Department, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Oahu, Hawaii
awarded a full scholarship for Foong to complete his second Master of Art in
Theatre Costuming. Now a resident on the Island of Maui, he has assisted many
charity organizations in their fund raising events with his extravagant fashion
and performance shows/presentations. In 2005, he and his partner, Mr. Walter
Jay Bissett opened Fire Dragon Bistro Orient & Design Shop. He also designs
costumes/fashions for numerous theatrical productions in Hawaii and abroad.
Appointed as chief lingerie designer for Cerie
International Limited – Hong Kong, his lingerie designs can be found in major
department stores in Canada and the United Kingdom.
He
showcased the BERNARD FOONG R-T-W
collections and BERNARD FOONG @ Modern Classic Ltd. (an
established – Hong Kong bridal & evening wear company) collections in Hong
Kong. His 2008 & 2009 bridal/evening/bridal lingerie fashion show, “Grace”
& “Coming Up Roses” were premiered at Hong Kong Fashion Week in July 2007
and January 2008 respectively at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition
Center, garnering positive interest in many Asian press reviews, including a
China nationwide television broadcast of his latest collection. Aika
(International Opera Singer) wore several Bernard Foong special occasion
dresses at her Japan & European tour in September & October 2009.
He
was the chief Creative Director for Official (Special Occasion fashion
manufacturing company) Guangzhou, China producing – BERNARD FOONG Couture (specialty
one-of-a-kind creations), White (RTW
- Wedding/Special Occasion wear), Foxy Cute
(Smart Casual/Cocktail wear), SexZ (decorative
bustier) & Diva
Bitch (sexual lingerie inner/outer-wear) collections.
Besides
working on his regular haute couture, R-T-W and lingerie collections he is a
visiting consultant/advisor for:
·
Pivot Point
fashion college, Chengdu, China.
·
Hong Kong
Design Institute (fashion department), Hong Kong, SAR.
·
Hong Kong
Poly/U, Hong Kong (School of Apparel Design & Merchandising), SAR.
·
Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, Hong Kong.
·
Singapore Temasek Polytechnic – School of Apparel
Design & Merchandising (ADM), Singapore.
Bernard
is also writing his autobiography, a seven book series of Mr. Foong’s young
life:
A Harem Boy’s Saga: A
Memoir by Young.
This
provocative story spanning 4 decades and 3 continents is about a boy who was
sent to a very exclusive English boarding school in the 1960s where he was
initiated into a clandestine sexual society and then spirited away to serve in
wealthy and elite Middle Eastern harems ."
A Harem Boy’s Saga series is published by Solstice
Publishing and is available in print and E-books internationally.
Synopsis: A Harem
Boy Saga; A Memoir. Book 1 - INITIATION.
This provocative story is about a young man who was
initiated into a clandestine sexual society. He was spirited to the Middle
East, from his UK boarding school. He attended the Bahriji School (Oasis,) in
The United Arab Emirates in preparation for serving in Harems for the wealthy
and elite.
It is also a love story between the young man and his
‘Valet’ who served as his chaperone and mentor during the boy’s Harem service.Author’s note:
I had a privileged and unique upbringing in Malaysia, where
I was known as a "sissy boy." Following in my brothers' footsteps, I
was sent to an exclusive boarding school in England. It is there that I was
inducted into a clandestine organization, E.R.O.S. The Enlightened Royal
Oracle Society. For four years,
unbeknownst to my family, I was willingly and happily part of a Harem.
My story has been kept under wraps for close to 45 years.
The correct moment has arrived for me to make known my unique education.
Unbridled is the sequel to Initiation
- A provocative story about a young man who was initiated into a clandestine
sexual society. He was spirited to the Middle East, from his UK boarding school.
He attended the Bahriji School (Oasis,) in The United Arab Emirates in
preparation for serving in Harems for the wealthy and elite.
It is also a love story between the young man, his ‘Big
Brother’ and his ‘Valet’ who served as his chaperones and mentors during the
boy’s Harem services.
This book follows
the teenagers’ erotic and exotic adventures and experiences at their 2nd Arab
Household Harem, the Sekham. They were apprentices and models, for the
household patriarch’s controversial photography project, “Sacred Sex in Sacred Places”.
The author's experiences present facts
that are truthful. Through these truths, which are often demonized by
contemporary societies that deem such behaviors inappropriate, the author hopes
to dispel condemnations and negativity which relate to his experiences.
Debauchery is the
triquel to A Harem Boy’s Saga, a provocative
story about a young man who was initiated into a clandestine sexual society
through his UK boarding school. From there, he was spirited to the Middle East
to attend the Bahriji (Oasis) School in The United Arab Emirates in preparation
for Harem services for the wealthy elite.
It is also a love story between the young man, his
‘Big Brother,’ and his ‘Valet,’ who served as his chaperones and mentors.
This book follows
the teenagers’ erotic and exotic adventures and experiences at their third Arabian
Household Harem, the Quwah. There, they became confidants to a prince,
assistants in an international dance club venture, “Carousel,” and apprentices and models in a controversial
photography project, “Sacred Sex in
Sacred Places.”
This story is an account of the
author’s experiences. Through these truths, often demonized by contemporary
societies that deem such behaviors inappropriate, the author hopes to dispel
condemnation and negativity related to sexuality, love, and personal freedom.
A Harem Boy’s Saga is a series of
seven volumes.
For further information please visit or contact:
Bernard Foong (a.k.a. Young)
Emerantia Antonia Parnall-Gilbert: Gilbert Literary Agency)
Melissa
Miller: Solstice Publishing
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