Thái Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American fashion designer and author whose work celebrates Vietnamese culture and identity. His children’s book Mai’s Áo Dài, created with author Monique Truong and illustrator Dung Ho, honors the traditional áo dài and the Vietnamese New Year. In this interview, Thái shares stories from his childhood in Vietnam and Washington, his journey in fashion, and the inspiration behind his book.
When you were growing up in Vietnam and later in Washington, did you enjoy any children’s stories or songs or participate in youth activities/games? Did you want to evoke a particular feeling – joy, comfort, nostalgia for your own childhood – for the young readers of Mai’s Ao Dai and their parents, as you were putting the story together with author Monique Truong and illustrator Dung Ho?
Growing up in Vietnam, I lived mostly with my grandma and aunties because my parents had to work far away to earn a living. I only lived with them consistently from ages 10 to 13, until we immigrated to America. I always looked forward to the holidays, especially Tết, so I could be with my parents, celebrate, and get new clothes. Soon after arriving in Olympia, WA, 3 days to be exact, my parents took me to Liên Hoa Temple to join the Buddhist Youth Group. This is where I continued to live my Vietnamese culture, speaking the language, learning about Buddhism, and celebrating special holidays with family, community, and peers. What I missed as a child in Vietnam was fulfilled in Olympia, and those memories helped Monique, Dung, and I build the *Mai’s Áo Dài* story around Tết.
You are a “fairygownmother” and believe in amplifying and elevating goodness all around you. With how genuinely and loudly you express yourself, I can’t imagine that you were ever shy or quiet when you were younger. But it sounds like before being casted on the Netflix reality TV show Say I Do, you were also on other fashion reality shows and competitions, where you may have felt less experienced and less confident. Can you tell us about that journey of embracing the fairygownmother that you are, and the people who supported you through it? How does that message of empowerment shine through in your new children’s book, Mai’s Ao Dai?
I believe exposure is very important for young children. The more they see or experience, the stronger their foundation in life will be. I was a naive and shy child in South Vietnam due to a lack of exposure. I learned more when I moved to Saigon, and then had to learn a whole new life in America. Olympia was a small town with limited exposure until I moved to Los Angeles for college. As I’ve grown, all of those life lessons and feelings—love, hate, anger, happiness, sadness, bitterness, and sweetness—have shaped me into the “fairygownmother” I am today. To truly appreciate something, you must be exposed to it and live it. That’s why I’m grateful for the opportunity to create *Mai’s Áo Dài* for children, offering them exposure to the cultural significance and value of the áo dài, inspiring them to appreciate it.
When you had the chance to showcase your designs during fashion school in LA for the first time in the 2000s, you saved 8 tickets for friends and family, but the last 2 you gave to the Vietnamese press in OC. That’s such a brilliant idea, and truly an invitation, to declare that you’re here, and you’re ready to use your talents to dress your Vietnamese clientele. And so of course Viet Bao covered your Storytime and Signing at Barnes and Noble in Huntington Beach earlier this year for Mai’s Ao Dai and applauded its success as an intergenerational event. What motivated you, Monique Truong, and Dung Ho to come together now and create Mai’s Ao Dai for the diasporic Vietnamese community, who clearly loved and wanted it? And is there a Mai’s Ao Dai part two in the works?
I am a proud Vietnamese, and I will always love and respect our community. I will always do my best to showcase and bring our community to the world in a celebrated way! In all my milestone achievements, I’ve always managed to include our Vietnamese community. We’re one big family and should always celebrate together. Mai’s Áo Dài really came together after the iconic moment when Kelly Marie Tran reached out to me to design an áo dài for the premiere of Raya and The Last Dragon for Disney. It was a moment for all of us Vietnamese to see how beautiful we are, that we belong, and that we can be celebrated. Little girls could see a Southeast Asian princess in an áo dài, not just a gown! That moment connected Monique and I to create a story to celebrate the áo dài—Mai’s Áo Dài, which is like “My” Áo Dài. It was very important to us to have a Vietnamese illustrator to complete the story! We’re grateful that Simon & Schuster connected us with Dung Ho, whose work we both admire. The three of us are a dynamic trio. And yes, we are working on Mai #2!
As you look back on your personal journey to becoming a proud and unapologetically queer Vietnamese American fashion designer – from being the only child and only son in your family, from when you were young and already knew you were different, from leaving your family in Olympia, Washington to go to school in LA, from dreaming about making gowns for the Red Carpet rather than styling denim for BCBG Max Azria – how did you get through the inevitable loneliness that comes with being a pioneer? Were you able to find a mentor in the fashion world who shared similar identities? Today, have any fashion students and young designers come to you for mentorship? And now that you’ve successfully released a children’s book – any advice for readers who may want to publish one too?
I believe all artists will relate to this: a life of loneliness often comes with being a true artist. We must separate ourselves from everything else to find our true selves. Loneliness allows us to be vulnerable, real, sensitive, competitive, and inspired. But that loneliness isn’t necessarily bad if you have the talent, opportunities, and will to work hard to fulfill your duty as an artist. We have the responsibility to work, deal, and cope with that loneliness and not go to a dark place. The loneliness of a true artist can be joyful, colorful, and rainbow-like. I’ve been blessed to have met wonderful people who have helped, guided, and nurtured me throughout my journey, including my parents who gave me the freedom to find my own path; my high school teachers who taught me English and introduced me to representatives from FIDM; a classmate’s mom who loved me like her own son; a professor in my advanced program at FIDM who told me to be true to myself and do what makes me happy; the Vietnamese community; the people at Asia Entertainment, Van Son Entertainment, and Thuy Nga Paris By Night who gave me opportunities and trusted my talents; my small Thai Nguyen Atelier team, my second family; my childhood friends who will drop everything to help me; and my partner Kevin and his family, who have been by my side for 18 years. Many young students have interned at Thai Nguyen Atelier. Some have succeeded on their own with their passion, while others didn’t like how honest I was about how it’s not that glamorous. It’s not about the glitz and glam, the show, and everything else they see on social media. I think anyone can be an artist, but being a real artist and being an artist in lalaland are two different things. Anyone can publish a book, but you’ve got to do the work, do the research, and be authentic and genuine to your story and your journey in this life. Don’t write someone else’s story; write your own authentic story.
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This interview was conducted by Cathy Duong as part of the Author Spotlight series. All featured authors participated in Viet Book Fest 2025, a literary event presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA). Held on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, the all-day festival celebrated Vietnamese diasporic voices in literature, culture, and storytelling.
