I want my clothes to make women feel beautiful

Now Ong-Oaj Pairam’s couture designs are popping up on red carpets in London and the US.

Actress Maisie Williams wore the Brighton designer’s splendid canary yellow gown at the Golden Globes this month.

And there is no stopping the 34-year-old, whose designs are set to be worn by the stars at the Bafta and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“I am on a high,” he said about the fantastic reception his dress for Maisie received. The silk crepe de chine number was a fashion hit, featuring consistently in the media’s best dressed lists.

Ong said: “When you are a small designer, you can never be sure whether they will wear your dress until the last minute, so it was a great surprise.”

The light and breezy piece came together over the course of two days, using nine metres of fabric and a lot of hemming.

Working from his North Laine studio, Ong is a on mission to bring back craftsmanship and glamour to women’s evening wear.

He explains: “When you go to the museum and see the pieces from the 1950s, they are extraordinary. I want to bring back that craftsmanship and old days of glamour. I want my clothes to make women feel beautiful.”

Ong’s passion for clothing developed in his childhood. Born in Thailand into a privileged family, he remembers being obsessed with clothing from a young age.

“When I was younger, my parents dressed me in pristine white, but I was worried my clothes would get dirty,” he recalls.

But there was a chance Ong’s fashion talents may never have been realised.

His parents were adamant he went to business school or became a doctor because fashion as a career was looked down on in his culture. Ong was sent to study thousands of miles away in Brighton.

Studying at international school Bellerbys College, near Brighton train station, the 14-year-old Ong looked set to study medicine.

He said: “I got the grades to become a doctor but I changed my mind. A teacher sat me down and asked me what I actually liked. I said ‘I like design’ and he told to follow my dreams and my parents would come to terms with it.”

After achieving a great set of science A-levels, Ong needed a qualification in art and design if he was study fashion at university.

He completed an art and design foundation course at Brighton and Hove City College before being accepted for the University of Brighton’s Fashion Design BA.

A series of internships with designers in New York and London followed before he started his own label in 2012. A typical week consists of fittings, responding to media requests, looking at fabric samples and meeting clients.

More than ever before, he is in demand with stylists who want his creations for their celebrity clients for high profile appearances.

Last year Cheryl Fernandez- Versini danced on stage in the The X Factor with her acts Reggie N Bollie in an Ong-Oaj Pairam jumpsuit.

Paloma Faith stunned in a three- shades-of-blue strapless dress in the last series of The Voice. And Ariana Grande appeared on Japanese TV in his floral two-piece creation.

For Ong, there was no question about setting up in Brighton.

He said: “Brighton is really bohemian – people dress how they want to dress and, for a designer, that is really interesting.”

In his spare time, Ong is a cinema buff and coffee addict, regularly frequenting Small Batch Coffee in Jubilee Street.

After such a good start to the year, he is one step closer to his dream of showing his collection in Paris.

He said: “I could never see myself in a white lab coat. I feel like I’m really lucky to get up every morning and do this job. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”