BIO
Born in Texas on December 23, 1988, Bach Mai is a fashion designer with his own independent line of luxury clothing. He grew up with two siblings with a father who was an engineer and a mother who worked at a nail salon. Mai attended high school at St. John’s School in Houston and recalls having a special interest in the arts, especially pertaining to dance and the design of clothes. He obtained a BA in Liberal Arts and a BFA in Fashion Design from The New School in New York City, as well as an MFA in Fashion Design from the Institut Français de la Mode. Bach subsequently went on to design under Prabal Gurung and John Galliano, and launched his own brand in 2019. This interview covers Mr. Mai’s path through discovering areas of artistry that particularly spoke to him, as well as his thoughts on Vietnamese traditional dress and the overarching influence of Asian designers on the fashion industry. Mr. Mai explores his passion for haute couture and his sources of inspiration. He recalls being inspired as early as with an internship at the Houston Ballet costume shop as a child. This interest developed in high school through a more academic approach to fashion and sewing classes—representing continual defiance of prototypical “lawyer/doctor” expectations. Mr. Mai touches on a variety of topics related to identity; this includes his own sexuality, family background in Buddhism, and ethnic identity. He emphasizes the gift of being free to pursue one’s passion and the importance of one’s loved ones in the face of loss and hardship.