Learn Her Story
The Cotton Lady from Shawn Fung on Vimeo.
In May of 1968, Ket Youngstead arrived in the United States from Hong Kong. She went to Los Angeles with her husband, John, and after only one month, found a job in the garment district as a sample maker. Six months later, she found herself in Laguna Beach hand-sewing bikinis.
Over the next five years, Ket worked for various local and small companies where she developed her natural talent as a designer and seamstress. In 1975, she became an exhibitor at the Sawdust Art Festival, and also opened her custom clothing shop in downtown Laguna where she specialized in custom wedding and prom dresses.
Over the years, she exhibited in a variety of arts and craft shows throughout the Western United States, and as time progressed, so did her creations. Ket's artwork evolved from custom wedding and prom dresses to a more casual line of clothing and finally into her current pieces, including nightgowns, blouses, tiered skirts and robes.
Throughout her entire career, Ket continued to make her clothing out of choice materials, including fine muslin and 100% white cotton lawn accented with high-quality lace. Ket moved her shop location in the mid 1990s and focused on exhibiting primarily in the Sawdust Art Festival and working out of her home in beautiful Laguna Beach.