Dee Poon: From a Famous Fashion Family to Building Her Own Business

Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Fame Katha Editorial Team

Dee Poon is a Hong Kong-born businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is the President of Brands and Retailing at Tessellation Group, where she also serves as a director.

She comes from a famous business family. Her mother leads the Esquel textile business. Her father built a major luxury retail group.

But her career has its own story.

She started with clothing stores. Then she tried creative projects. Later, she returned to the family business and helped develop well-known clothing brands.

In 2023, she started a new business chapter with Tessellation Group. Her work now connects fashion with better manufacturing methods.

Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Full name	Dee Chu Ying Poon
Chinese name	潘楚穎
Known as	Dee Poon
Birth	October 1982
Birthplace	Hong Kong
Nationality	British, according to UK Companies House
Profession	Businesswoman and entrepreneur
Current role	President of Brands and Retailing
Company	Tessellation Group
Father	Dickson Poon
Mother	Marjorie Yang
Grandfather	Yang Yuan-loong
Education	Harvard University
Degree	BA in Philosophy
Graduation	2004
Known brands	PYE and DETERMINANT
Major recognition	WEF Young Global Leader, 2014
Honorary degree	University of the Arts London, 2026

Early Life and Family Background

Dee grew up in Hong Kong. Business was part of everyday life.

Her mother, Marjorie Yang, became chairwoman of Esquel Group, a major textile and garment manufacturer.

Her father, Dickson Poon, founded Dickson Concepts. The company became known for luxury retail businesses, including Harvey Nichols and S.T. Dupont.

Both parents had demanding careers.

Still, her childhood was not simply about wealth or business.

Her parents divorced in 1986. Dee was four years old.

She was mainly raised by her mother. Family friends also helped care for her.

During a 2023 interview with Tatler Asia, she spoke warmly about the people who supported her childhood.

Many were close female friends of her mother.

That upbringing shaped her view of friendship. It also taught her about independence.

Her family has a long history in textiles.

Her maternal grandfather, Yang Yuan-loong, founded Esquel Group in 1978. Her great-grandfather, Tsai Shengbai, was also involved in China’s industrial sector.

So textile manufacturing was already familiar.

Yet Dee did not immediately choose it as her permanent career.

Education and University Years

Her education took her abroad.

She attended Fay School in Massachusetts. She graduated from the school in 1997.

Next came The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut.

After high school, she spent time working in London before going to university.

She then enrolled at Harvard University.

Interestingly, she chose philosophy.

She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004.

Why philosophy instead of business?

She had a strong interest in questions, ideas, and understanding how people think.

Her degree was not focused on fashion. It was not a textile qualification either.

That made her academic background different from her mother’s engineering education.

According to her Fay School alumni profile, she later carried her interest in ideas into her work with clothing and retail.

She learned business through experience.

And that experience started quickly.

Her First Experience in Business

After leaving Harvard, Dee returned to Hong Kong.

She began working with PYE. The premium shirt brand belonged to Esquel.

At the time, its retail operation was small.

She took responsibility for its business in Beijing.

The work was practical.

She had to understand the store. She also needed to understand customers.

Selling shirts sounds simple enough.

But running a clothing brand involves product quality, pricing, staff, and the shopping experience.

Those early responsibilities gave her direct experience.

Still, she wanted to try other things.

She left the business after her initial period working with PYE.

She was young and curious.

And she did not want her entire career decided too early.

Trying Her Own Creative Ideas

Leaving PYE opened another door.

In 2006, she helped establish Ambassadors of Design Hong Kong.

The nonprofit worked to support design, creativity, and cultural exchange.

It gave her opportunities to meet artists, designers, and people working outside traditional retail.

Then came a more personal project.

The DYSEMEVAS Fashion Store

In 2008, she launched DYSEMEVAS.

It was a temporary fashion shop in Hong Kong.

The concept was quite different.

Instead of concentrating on famous international labels, the store introduced customers to emerging designers from Hong Kong and mainland China.

It featured clothing, jewellery, and creative goods.

The store opened on Hollywood Road.

Its limited run attracted attention from fashion writers and local media.

The idea was clear.

New designers needed an audience.

She wanted to give them one.

This project showed that her interest in fashion extended beyond selling clothes from established brands.

Returning to Esquel Group

In 2009, she returned to Esquel.

This time, she stayed longer.

Her responsibilities grew over the following years.

She became involved in brands and distribution, helping manage how Esquel’s retail products reached customers.

The work included PYE and later DETERMINANT.

She worked closely with her mother.

Their backgrounds were different.

Marjorie Yang understood engineering and manufacturing. Dee brought experience in retail, consumer preferences, and brand development.

They had different approaches.

But both understood the company’s history.

Her Work With PYE

PYE was established in 1984.

So Dee did not create the original brand.

Her role was to help develop it.

The company focused on premium shirts, particularly carefully made cotton garments.

Under her retail leadership, PYE updated its stores and worked on its brand identity.

Quality remained a main selling point.

The goal was to make clothing people would keep wearing.

That idea later became closely connected to her interest in responsible fashion.

Her Work With DETERMINANT

DETERMINANT took a different approach.

The brand focused on everyday clothing.

Simple designs mattered.

So did comfort and useful fabrics.

The brand developed products including shirts and reusable cotton face masks.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Esquel used its manufacturing experience to produce reusable masks.

This period also showed how a clothing business could respond to changing public needs.

For Dee, the work connected product development with practical use.

Establishing Tessellation Group

A major career change came in January 2023.

Dee established Tessellation with her cousin, Natasha Cheng.

The company brought together clothing brands and technology businesses linked to Esquel.

These included PYE and DETERMINANT.

It also included businesses working on manufacturing methods, materials, and environmental technology.

Dee became President of Brands and Retailing.

She also joined its board.

Tessellation continued to have business connections with Esquel, but it gave the new group its own identity.

The move was meaningful.

After years inside the family textile business, she now had a different leadership role.

She could work on retail products while supporting new production methods.

Tessellation’s activities include apparel solutions, manufacturing technology, and material development.

Her position remains President of Brands and Retailing, according to her World Economic Forum executive profile.

Her Interest in Responsible Fashion

Fashion can create large amounts of waste.

Clothing production also requires resources.

Water is one example.

Dee has spoken publicly about these problems for years.

She supports making durable clothing and finding production methods that reduce waste.

But the work goes beyond public talks.

Through Esquel and Tessellation, she has been associated with projects involving reusable products, new textile materials, and lower-water production methods.

Waterless Dyeing Technology

One of Tessellation’s initiatives is ECOHUES.

It is a textile dyeing technology.

The process aims to remove water and salt from certain fibre-dyeing operations.

DETERMINANT has used related methods for its Cotton Waterless Dye Collection.

In 2025, the brand joined the Retail4Impact initiative under the United Nations Environment Programme’s One Planet Network.

The initiative encourages companies to make clearer and more reliable environmental claims.

Tessellation says the collection’s dyeing process can save up to 40 litres of water per shirt, with its water-saving claims independently checked by SGS.

These claims relate to a specific process. They should not be confused with a claim that the entire garment uses no water.

For Dee, responsible manufacturing remains a major business interest.

Her Work in Art and Culture

Business is only one part of her professional life.

She has also worked in media.

She previously served as Editor-at-Large for iLook Magazine.

She contributed columns to Modern Weekly, including writing about sustainability.

Her interest in art has continued for years.

She has served on the international councils of London’s Tate and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

Her cultural work has also included Asia Art Archive and the China Arts Foundation.

These roles connect her with artists and creative institutions outside the clothing business.

Her Short Film

She even worked on a film.

Her short project, An Exercise in Futility, was released in 2009.

It formed part of the 42×42 short-film project.

The film was screened at the Cannes and Beijing International Film Festivals.

It was a small project.

But it showed another creative interest.

Social Work and Charitable Activities

Dee has supported several nonprofit organisations.

Her work includes education and mental-health causes.

She has been involved with Mind HK, an organisation working to improve understanding of mental health in Hong Kong.

She has also supported the Y. L. Yang Foundation and Asia House.

Her institutional roles include connections with Harvard University’s Asia Center, Oxford Saïd Business School’s Ownership Project, and the Hong Kong–ASEAN Foundation.

In public interviews, she has spoken about the value of asking for help and having supportive people around you.

These interests are separate from her daily retail responsibilities.

They remain part of her public work.

Awards and Professional Recognition

Her business and community work has brought several honours.

World Economic Forum Recognition

In 2014, Dee was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

She was also named a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s China Fellowship Program.

These programmes bring together professionals working in business and society.

Tatler Recognition

Tatler included her among its Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow in 2016 and 2018.

She was also recognised in Tatler Asia’s Most Influential list in 2021.

Visionary Women Award

She was included among Harper’s BAZAAR Hong Kong’s 2023 Visionary Women Award recipients.

The award ceremony took place in March 2024.

The recognition covered her professional work and wider involvement in society.

Honorary Doctorate in 2026

A major academic honour followed.

On 17 March 2026, the University of the Arts London awarded her an honorary doctorate.

The ceremony took place at Royal Festival Hall in London.

The university recognised her work in fashion, business, and responsible production.

It also highlighted Tessellation’s clothing and environmental projects.

The university’s official profile confirms her honorary status.

The award is an honorary doctorate, separate from her Harvard bachelor’s degree.

Her Relationship With Michelle Yeoh

One interesting family connection involves actress Michelle Yeoh.

Yeoh was previously married to Dee’s father, Dickson Poon.

Their marriage ended years ago.

But the family connection did not disappear.

In her Tatler interview, Dee described Yeoh as family.

She also explained that Yeoh and her mother remained friends.

Their relationship continued well beyond the earlier marriage.

Dee has spoken about admiring Yeoh’s generosity.

Her comments give readers a personal view of a family often discussed mainly through its business interests.

Personal Interests and Lifestyle

She has interests beyond business meetings.

Art remains a regular part of her life.

She also enjoys fashion and travel.

Yet her everyday clothing choices tend to be simple.

In interviews, she has explained that she often prefers a small collection of comfortable, useful clothing.

That fits her professional interest in making garments that last.

She has also spoken about the value of close friendships.

Her relationship with her mother remains an important part of her public story.

And she continues to support organisations working in education and culture.

Career Timeline

Year	Career or life event
1982	Born in October
1997	Graduated from Fay School
2004	Graduated from Harvard University
2004–2006	Early work with PYE
2006	Helped start Ambassadors of Design Hong Kong
2008	Opened DYSEMEVAS
2009	Returned to Esquel Group
2014	Named a WEF Young Global Leader
2016	Received Tatler Gen.T recognition
2018	Received further Tatler Gen.T recognition
2021	Listed among Tatler Asia’s Most Influential
2023	Established Tessellation Group
2024	Received the 2023 Visionary Women Award
2025	Continued retail and sustainability work
2026	Received an honorary doctorate from UAL

Her Career in 2026

As of October 2026, Dee continues to be identified as President of Brands and Retailing at Tessellation Group.

Her responsibilities connect retail brands with the group’s manufacturing and environmental work.

She is also a director.

Her public activities include international business discussions, educational institutions, and cultural organisations.

The 2026 honorary doctorate added another major achievement to her career record.

Her work still centres on a familiar question.

How can clothing companies make useful products while taking responsibility for how those products are manufactured?

It is a question she has worked on for many years.

Final Thought

Dee Poon grew up surrounded by business.

She had access to experience and opportunity.

But she also tried different work.

She studied philosophy. She opened a temporary fashion store. She spent years managing clothing brands.

Then she helped start Tessellation.

Her story is interesting because her work has changed over time.

She has remained connected to fashion while taking on bigger responsibilities in manufacturing and retail.

Her 2026 honorary doctorate recognised that work.

And her career continues.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Dee Poon?

Dee Poon is a Hong Kong-born businesswoman. She is President of Brands and Retailing at Tessellation Group and serves as a director.

2. Who are her parents?

Her mother is Marjorie Yang, chairwoman of Esquel Group. Her father is Dickson Poon, founder of Dickson Concepts.

3. How old is she?

UK Companies House records her birth month as October 1982. She turns 44 during October 2026.

4. Where did she study?

She attended Fay School and The Hotchkiss School before graduating from Harvard University in 2004 with a degree in philosophy.

5. What does she do at Tessellation Group?

She leads its brands and retailing activities. She also serves as a director of the company.

6. Did she start PYE?

No. PYE was established in 1984. She later helped develop its retail business and brand identity.

7. Is she related to Michelle Yeoh?

Yes. Michelle Yeoh was previously married to her father, Dickson Poon. Dee has described the actress as a close family figure.

8. What award did she receive in 2026?

She received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London on 17 March 2026.

Fame Katha