Owner and creator of Amandarling, Amanda Loke Kwai Lin, trained in fashion design at Harrow College of Art graduating with first class honours in 1985. She then completed her master's degree at London's Royal College of Art in 1987. Designer placements followed in Rome and Hong Kong culminating in a position as head of design at Esprit in Dusseldorf, Germany from 1991 to 1998.

The initial inspiration for the launch of Amandarling's first collection came from the designer's background, itself an exotic mix of eastern and western influences. Her great grandfather, Loke Yew is a legend in Malaysian society and Amanda herself, has spent a lifetime collecting antique sarong kabayas which the old ladies of Malaysia still wear today. The prints from these were reworked, beautifully embroidered and delicately sequined to allow the modern woman to experience this fusion of cultures that is Amandarling.