FASHION DESIGNER THAI NGUYEN HAS SO MUCH JOY TO SHARE

BY CLARA SEELY-KATZ

As a designer with an Atelier based in Costa Mesa, California, THAI NGUYEN has had a successful, and simultaneously stressful, COVID-19 experience. Starting with the release of his show “Say I Do” on Netflix during the summer of 2020, the release of his most recent collection “You’re Welcome,” and most recently his last-minute design and creation of Kelly Marie Tran’s áo dài for Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” premiere. Thai Nguyen is an up-and-coming Vietnamese American designer who is making waves.  

PHOTOGRAPHER: JESS PHILLIPS, CREATIVE DIRECTOR: ANDREW PHILIP NGUYEN, MAKE-UP ARTIST: SONNY NGUYEN, HAIRSTYLIST: ERIK ESPARZA,

MODELS: TIJANA ALEKSICH @WILLOW MODEL MGMT, JOHANNA MCKINLEY @SKY MODEL MGMT, YILIN MIMI WANG

The first thing that hit me about Thai Nguyen, even over the grainy Zoom video and somewhat shaky connection, was the innate brightness and joy that seemed to radiate off of him. Aside from his bright purple hair, and signature YSL glasses, he was sporting a dazzling smile at ten in the morning, and was ready to answer all of my questions in-depth and with complete honesty.

Can you tell me how you got into fashion? Has it always been a passion of yours from a young age, or is it something that came to you later in life?

Actually, it was my parents who influenced me. I came to America from Vietnam in 1983 when I was 13, and in Vietnam, my parents had a private sewing school so I kind of grew up with it. I learned how to sew making doll clothes with the other students at the school when I was only nine, so it really has always been in my blood, my DNA. However, my parents always expected and wanted me to have a stable job, like being a doctor or a lawyer, but none of that is me. Throughout high school, I was secretly creating costumes for the drama club, putting together fashion shows, and researching FIDM fashion institute in Orange County, and I was able to make it all happen in 2003. You know, there really is just something inside of me that makes me love to do design and just art in general.

That’s great! So, did being in that situation with your parents both being in the fashion industry but also wanting you to go into a “less risky” area of work put a lot of pressure on you? Or were you pretty certain early that you were going full-on into fashion?

Well, to be honest, the early 2000s were different than today, and I was really terrified. I feel so lucky that I am the only child of two very supportive parents, but they didn’t want me to go into the fashion industry because they knew how competitive it is, especially for a minority when you don’t come from money and have no capital to invest. I still don’t have an investor, I am a small, independent brand. It was a risky choice, and at the time I wasn’t even planning on having my own brand, I just wanted to fulfill my passion for fashion design, so I just went for it. I think that’s very important if you do have a passion, to just go for it. So when I got to FIDM, I had an amazing professor my third year named Mr. Harris, who had come from London to teach. He told me that one can’t keep looking back because then they’ll never move forward, and so I always try to do things step by step, and just keeping moving forward.

I was looking at your latest collection “You’re Welcome” and I was wondering if you could tell me what inspired all of the bold and bright colors? I love all of the cool different pieces and how they are made of seemingly silks/scarves, right?

Thank you! Honestly, this collection was a spur-of-the-moment project during quarantine, and it has really been a passion of mine. I’ve been collecting vintage scarves for a very long time but I didn’t know what I was going to do with them, aside from using them for color/pattern inspiration for my other designs. During quarantine, I had the idea to do something with all of the scarves because I had thousands of them, and in school, I was really into color theory. So I created the “You’re Welcome” collection by upcycling all of these beautiful scarves, it was all made sustainably. During quarantine it has really been about what makes you happy, and “You’re Welcome” is really about that happiness and reprieve, and the name is like me welcoming everybody to this colorful, fun collection.

Is being eco-conscious important for you in all of your designs, or was it specifically this collection that inspired you to be so?

Yes, it is. My main business is custom order, I don’t have a mass-producing brand so it is all very limited and not at all wasteful. Each piece is one of a kind. The same goes for “You’re Welcome,” each piece is one of a kind. Also, when I do custom gowns for brides or for red carpet looks, I make sure each of those designs represents who they are, and what story they are trying to tell through that piece of clothing. So yes, all of my designs are very sustainable and are made with a purpose.

That is very cool! And, I just love your iconic YSL glasses, I had to point that out. I noticed that you wear them all of the time, and in every episode of your Netflix show “Say I Do”. That is a very moving show about you and two other professionals (a chef, and an interior designer) putting on dream weddings for couples in under a week. At times the show can be very compelling, very moving, and impactful for the audience, and I wanted to know what was the most rewarding part of that experience for you?

That was a life-changing experience for me, and honestly, I am so proud and grateful. I really can’t believe that I get to have a platform from this show to share my story. My designs are one thing, but it is my story and where I come from, how I was brought up, and how I was able to deal with the whole journey of how I am who I am today and getting to share that with this newfound platform that has been inspiring and an amazing experience. So many people have reached out to me and it really is overwhelming, and I am always pinching myself every day, honestly wondering how I was able to get the opportunity to be on this show that I did.

You also have a YouTube channel @ThaiNguyen, where you share more of your story as well as behind the scenes of your designing process. There are also a lot of videos detailing your Vietnamese culture and your experience as a Vietnamese American. What part of your channel is most important to you, and why

Now that we are living in a world with so much social media, there are so many different outlets that one can express oneself through, and YouTube is a major one of those. So, during quarantine, I created my YouTube channel so that I would be able to reach out to people I hadn’t seen in so long, and connect with them because we are all so busy and forget people sometimes. I started making my videos talking in Vietnamese as a way to reach out to close friends, and then I realized that I could use my YouTube to tell my stories. I think that Instagram caters to a certain crowd, and Facebook a different one, and Twitter a different crowd, and YouTube as well. So I am trying to touch every single different space and it is all about creating a platform, not being cocky. It is about my story, culture, and design and I found YouTube is a great way to share.

Talking about your designs, recently you designed the dress Kelly Marie Tran, the star of “Raya and the Last Dragon” wore at the Disney premiere.

Yes!

Can you tell me about that experience? About dressing her in a traditional Vietnamese áo dài?

Oh my god, you don’t even know! December, January and February were really hard because my parents and my boyfriend, and his parents, all got COVID! Thank god they are all healthy now, but it really was so stressful, and I had to take care of them. We live separately and I had to quarantine myself in a separate room, while I had to take care of things. It made me really see how important mental health is. Going through that was stressful and depressing, especially in a room all by myself. And then, Kelly [Marie Tran] texted me three days before the virtual premiere. We have been friends since the World Premiere of Star Wars “The Last Jedi” which I dressed her for as well. She texted me and said, “Thai, I’m thinking of wearing an áo dài for the virtual premiere, I know it is last minute, can you do it?” I was like, it is ok, you can literally wake me up at any time to do this for you! So that day at 8:30 in the morning, I woke up, it woke me up from my depression, and I told her it didn’t matter what it would take I would get it done for her because it is so meaningful and historic. I was so excited about the opportunity. She told me that although she is playing princess Raya, in “Raya and the Last Dragon” she wanted to look like a queen on the red carpet. This made me think black and gold and completing the look with the hat and everything. The whole design was inspired by Phoenix rising from the ash, because of how Kelly went through all of that bullying online when Star Wars came out. But instead of putting a literal phoenix on the dress, I used the Phoenix motif throughout the áo dài, as well as lotus because it is the national flower of Vietnam. My team and I worked from 2 pm all the way to 3 in the morning to finish that look and had her fitting at 11 am that day. It fit perfectly with no alteration

Wow!

Yeah.

That is pretty amazing. She is obviously a very successful Vietnamese actress, and as you mentioned, she has been bullied in the past. I wanted to ask you about how it feels to also be a successful Asian American during this time of growing aggression against Asian people in America, and how you feel about the anti-Asian hate movement that is going on right now?

I think it is very unfortunate that we still have to talk about this now because we’re living in the 21st century, and we really should be better than this. Do you know what I mean? Everybody is equal, everybody is the same, we should all have awareness about this. Unfortunately, this hate is happening, and it hurts me very much. But, then this Disney movie came out, and I am so grateful because the movie came out at the right time. It is so inspiring! It’s not just a movie for kids, it’s about all of us being united, being together, and being supportive, and about being the person who takes the first step towards that goal. My favorite scene in Raya is when she does decide to take that first step because everyone is not trusting each other and there was a lot of hate (like today), but Raya decides enough is enough, and she takes that step. That is what it is all about, being together. It is all about the younger generations, we all need to learn, and we are all still learning. I am 40 now and I’m still learning from other people. I know it’s going to be a better world for sure!

What would you say to an aspiring Asian American designer that is worried about hate, or not having a place in the community? Is it a real worry?

I very often say, on all of my social media, that dreams do come true. It happened to me. I am a minority, Vietnamese American. I wasn’t born in America, I came here when I was 13. The thing is, you just have to focus and work hard because nothing is free or easy. You know, there are some people born fortunate, and I am happy for them. But it’s not so easy for everyone else.

My advice would be that there really is space for everyone, but you need to find your individuality and your signature. And when you do, stick with it. My biggest advice is never to give up, ever. Because giving up would be your biggest failure. I have gotten to where I am today because I have failed so many times, and from that failing and not giving up, you learn so much. Failing is ok, just don’t give up! That is my lesson to Asian American young talents.

My last question for you today is what does it mean to be a Vietnamese American today? How do you think that will get better or worse in the future?

Honestly, I feel so special that I am a Vietnamese American today because I am living the best of two worlds. My identity is fluid, sometimes I think as an American, sometimes as a Vietnamese. And with access to both cultures, I feel so special. Asian Americans should know their worth today and feel special and lift each other up. I am optimistic for the future as long as we continue to collaborate and keep doing more things together.

Thank you for talking to me today, and taking the time to do this!

Thank you! Honestly, I am just so grateful and have so much pride, I’m so happy and have so much joy!