Background
He was born in 1966 from mixed Thai and Chinese parentage. He was brought up by his father in Penang, Malaysia after his parents’ divorce and due to family financial condition, he dropped out of school at very young age.
He was born in 1966 from mixed Thai and Chinese parentage. He was brought up by his father in Penang, Malaysia after his parents’ divorce and due to family financial condition, he dropped out of school at very young age.
After years of savings, he enrolled for fashion design classes and apprenticed with Mdm.P’ng Guay Keow of Galeen Fashion Institute.
He started his career as a hair stylist with a strong passion in fashion design. With his talent, passion and creativity, Richard quickly gained recognitions in the industry via winning several state and national level fashion design awards such as Penang Young Designer High Fashion Award 1993/94 and MODA Theater Clothes of High Fashion 1997/98. Richard is best known for his design in High Fashion under the label of Richard Rivalee Couture House.
Recent notable collections include well-known evening gown series which featured in his "Richard Rivalee"s Black Collection 2011".
The uniqueness of his collections is that each masterpiece that sold to its clients will never repeat again. His womenswear collections cover western style and Malay style evening gowns and bridal gowns.
His menswear collections cover modern classic clothing, suites and tuxedos. Richard"s design and collections have reached internationally with clienteles from Asia, Europe and United States of America with patronage from royal families, celebrities and the rich & famous.
His collections are often featured in renowned fashion and life style magazines in Malaysia and international such as Essenze (Malaysia), Backstage Professional (Malaysia), Fiori (Indonesia), AXM (United Kingdom) and many more.
His collections are no stranger to fashion weeks, charity fashion events, ballroom galas and international beauty pageants. Among the projects, he has worked with international celebrities such as Petrina Fung Bo Bo, Amber Chia, Ning Baizura and Soong Ai Ling. His collections also featured in international renowned brands events such as Poh Kong Jeweller, Cartier, Swarovski and Jaeger-LeCoultre.
In early 2012, the label was acquired by a group of private investors for an undisclosed amount.
Richard Rivalee is named the Chief Designer of the Company. On 19 May 2012, the Label celebrated its 22nd Anniversary in conjunction with the launch of its new label design.
The event was held at the main premise located at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site - Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. According to its internal source, the company direction is to rebrand the label to international level while maintaining its uniqueness.
In May 2012, Richard Rivalee was featured on Hong Kong TVBE channel via the introduction by Petrina Fung Bo Bo as her personal fashion designer.
Richard also make appearance as guest judge on various model contests, talent shows and beauty pageants. by Richard Rivalee Couture House: Mission Malaysia Universe Grand Final - 2002 Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week & Simply Haute Fashion Gala Dinner - 2004 Richard Rivalee Fashion Collection - 2005 Cartier Jewelry Fashion Show - 2006 Swarovski Creature Design Fashion Show - 2007 Ning Baizura Batique Evening - 2008 Jaeger-LeCoultre Watches Show, Mystical Adventure - 2009 Poh Kong Jewelry Collections Fashion Show - 2012 In- - 2012 Mission Auto City Beauty Pageant - 2012 Hong Kong aTV 55th Anniversary Show at Beijing - 2012.
