Joe Allen Hong

Who was Joe Allen Hong?

Joe Allen Hong was an American fashion designer.

Hong was born in El Paso, Texas to immigrant parents--a Chinese father and a Mexican mother. His family moved to California's Central Valley where he graduated from Stockton High School in 1948. He attended California College of Arts and Crafts and briefly spent time in the Army and was stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas.

In the 1950s Hong became a fashion designer for the growing department store chain Neiman Marcus. For his first major professional assignment Lawrence Marcus asked him to compete in the contest to design Grace Kelly's bridesmaids' gowns for her marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Marcus scouted Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral in a prenuptial visit and provided ideas based upon the building's architecture, decor, and general surroundings, which Hong then worked into the winning design.

Hong never married and eventually settled in San Francisco, California. His design projects extended far beyond clothing and included posters for the San Francisco Zoo as well as gift boxes for Joseph Magnin Co. Friends said his love of San Francisco and the Italian-influenced North Beach neighborhood was reflected in his art.