Founder of Limelight

Virginia Chu

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it” – Salvador Dali

Passionate about costume and creativity, Virginia set up Limelight in 2006, where she gathered a group of like-minded talents to provide a complete range of quality costume services to Broadway organisations and the global entertainment industry.

As someone who never settles for the ordinary, she started her career as a Costumier for various US Broadway productions and later participated in different shows and productions in the US after graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. With broadened horizons, Virginia never forgot her roots and was determined to use her costuming skill and knowledge to contribute to the local art scene.

When she returned to Hong Kong, she took up the position of Costume Director at Hong Kong Ballet, where she designed and constructed costumes for renowned productions including The Sleeping Beauty, The White Snake, The Nutcracker, The Lady of the Camellias and Giselle, etc. She was also awarded Hong Kong’s Best Costume for her work in Legend of the Great Archer.

After gaining diverse theatre knowledge and experience, Virginia decided to take on new challenges to work in the theme park industry. She joined the Creative Costuming Opening Team at Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) to oversee the park’s costuming development and operation prior to the establishment of Limelight. Working with HKDL was an eye-opening experience, where she had the privilege to meet, work with and learn from some of the most inspirational people.

Her aspiration for unique and meaningful costumes, coupled with local influence and extensive costuming insights and experience, inspired her to bring Hong Kong costumes to the world stage. Fueled by her passion and commitment, Virginia modestly claimed that being in the right place at the right time with the right people led to the birth and growth of Limelight.

As Limelight turned 10 years old in 2016, Virginia says, “We have accomplished a lot together during our first 10 years. We have been providing high quality costuming services to international entertainment companies and have successfully introduced costume as indispensible art in theatrical and entertainment productions. We see a bright future ahead of us as we look forward to new adventures.”

Creative Costuming Director

Daphne Lau

As a resourceful, reliable and flexible leader, Daphne has a unique mix of professional experiences in costuming, with practical experience working in theatre-related performance and entertainment fields. She holds a BA (Honours) in Costume and Make-Up for the Performing Arts from London College of Fashion and an MFA degree from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University.

She began her professional career in costuming as a Senior Costumer for Hong Kong Disneyland, where she first worked with Virginia, Founder of Limelight. Daphne describes Limelight as having a distinguished character, “Limelight is one of the vendors I used to work with. They are well organised, and the quality of the costume they deliver is always beyond expectation. The reputation Limelight has earned in the industry is unmatched, and I was thrilled to be joining the fantastic team. It’s wonderful to be part of a place that values teamwork, innovation and flexible working, where I am able to utilise my skills and experience as well as to explore, experiment and create to support the company’s objectives.”

Daphne previously served as the Head of Costume Manufacturing at Cirque du Soleil, responsible for various notable productions including Zaia, Mystère and O. She then held the role of Manager of Wardrobe Production with Wynn Palace in Macau, where she managed the manufacturing plan of all uniforms in the hotel before joining Limelight.

At Limelight, sharing her knowledge and experience, she is responsible for directing all facets of the costume design & production process across the disciplines of design creative, prototype experimentation, design execution, costume production, as well as budget review and analysis. She also plays a role in providing consultation and coaching to clients on costuming.

Business Development Manager

Angel Wong

With an advertising background, Angel was attracted to the fascinating world of costuming when she first met Virginia, the Founder of Limelight. Her passion for costume lies in seeing the execution of conceptual designs with impeccable craftsmanship, she says, “There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing our costumes come to life from what was just a drawing on paper. Every piece of our costume is unique in character and full of vitality.”

Angel graduated from the University of Manchester, with a bachelor’s degree in Management (Marketing) and later earned her master’s degree in Global Fashion Supply Chain Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her major responsibilities include project management as well as identifying, planning and driving the development agenda and new business opportunities for Limelight.

Angel describes her role as a bridge builder, as she serves as a direct link between the company and its clients while maintaining effective communication between departments within the company. Her high-energy and bubbly personality brings warmth and fun to Limelight and its clients wherever she goes.

Angel says, “Limelight offers a lot of flexibility and a liberal work environment to its staff. There is also a lot of trust between Limelight and its clients, who provide us a great extent of freedom in creation. This positive work culture has brought the right people together who share the same objective of doing something great. There are still many possibilities with Limelight and I look forward to embracing these new adventures with Limelight.”

Head of Creative

Jozef Koda

A creative powerhouse, Jozef brings the wildest ideas to life. Sharing the vision of Limelight, his work is a symbiosis of design and functionality to create maximum aesthetic impact with flexibility.

Jozef is a versatile designer of props, costumes, accessories and puppets from Australia. He has worked in opera, musical theatre, theme park and Vegas-style resident water shows throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia, such as Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, The Han Show, La Perle and Universal Studios Singapore. He specialises in many areas including props, accessories, 3D foam fabrication and puppet building, as well as costume design and production.

Workroom Manager

Sam Chui

Sam has 40 years’ work experience in textile and garment industry. He is responsible for the leadership and planning of day-to-day operations of the workroom at Limelight. As a quality control gatekeeper, he ensures our high-quality deliverables are made with meticulous craftsmanship.

Sam began his career as a tailor’s apprentice for customised women’s wear before working in fashion and textiles to oversee garment manufacture during the shift from custom tailoring to mass production in the industry.

As an experienced tailor and Workroom Manager, Sam works alongside the design and development department, and provides leadership and vision to guide his team members to achieve smooth and efficient production processes, with a focus on high-quality finished costumes.

“It brings me great joy to see our finished costumes on stage and to hear positive feedback from our clients,” says Sam. “Limelight is like family. There is a genuine spirit of cooperation. We support each other, we share ideas and work together to make them happen.”

Combining a multitude of skills, including creativity, insight and meticulous attention to detail, costume making has unleashed his creative potential. As each costume is unique, Sam continues to evolve and perfect techniques all the time, elevating his career to the next level.

Designer

Teresa Hung

Teresa graduated from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, majoring in Fashion & Textiles and Applied Art (Costume) respectively. She eventually pursued a professional career in costume design because nothing is more exciting and rewarding than managing the whole execution of her own design.

Teresa first joined Limelight as a student, when she was offered a summer job to help supervise the wardrobe crew of a theatre show abroad and has been growing with the company ever since. From costume design and manufacturing to managing the wardrobe, she has engaged in numerous local and overseas projects with Universal Studios Singapore, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Ocean Park Hong Kong. She also partook in supervising the wardrobe crew for various Broadway and theatrical productions throughout Asia.

As one of the few well-rounded costume designers familiar with complete creation process of a costume, from conceptual work to practical application, she combines her skills and knowledge with practical experience at Limelight. She is not only involved in the design process, but she also sees the importance of collaborating with different team members to ensure the best possible design execution.

She draws inspiration from watching theatre shows and performances, visiting museums and looking at paintings and artistic compositions made of various materials, patterns and shapes that create different feelings, ideas and meanings. She especially admires the Art Nouveau style. They make her contemplate how these techniques could be applied and integrated to her costumes. Recently, she attained professional qualification in Haute Couture embroidery at the prestigious embroidery school of Lesage in Paris, enabling her to master all embroidery art techniques.

“I’m really happy to be growing with Limelight. With an influx of diverse talents and greater resources, the positive work environment has fostered great team chemistry as Limelight becomes more well-rounded over the years,” she says.