Zoë Hong was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, schlepping dog-eared copies of fashion magazines on family fishing trips. She moved to Los Angeles after high school to attend Otis College of Art and Design, where she studied under amazing talents as varied as Bob Mackie and Michelle Mason. Upon graduation, she spent the next few years working as a designer in Los Angeles, and then later in San Francisco, until she decided to open her own business.

In 2005, Zoë won "Fresh Blood", a design competition in San Francisco. The following year, she won the Gen Art / Perrier "Bubbling Under" Design Competition.

She currently lives in a loft in Oakland with her husband, Assaf, and baby mint plant, Felix.