Spotlight shines on Olympia-connected designer

Thai Nguyen: Olympia High grad will be featured on 'Launch My Line'

LISA PEMBERTON-BUTLER | • Published December 01, 2009

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During his junior year at Olympia High School, Thai Nguyendesigned a collection of original prom dresses for the student talent show.

Watching his 20 or so friends-turned-models strut down the runway was a life-changing moment.

“There wasn’t a winning or losing side, but I got a standing ovation and I think that tells everything,” he said. “And that’s the moment I figured out what I want to do in my life.”

Nguyen, 29, went on to build a burgeoning fashion career in California. He doesn’t make it back to Olympia, which he considers his hometown, often, but he hopes South Sounders will help build a fan base for him on Bravo TV’s upcoming reality show “Launch My Line.”

“The people in Olympia need to watch,” Nguyen said in the phone interview. “The standard of the competition is very high.”

The show premiers at 11 p.m. Wednesday after part one of the “Top Chef: Las Vegas” finale. It features 10 well-known professionals – including a DJ, a CEO and a fashion critic – who are paired up with 10 established fashion designers to execute their dream clothing line. Each week, the teams create a look that is judged in front of a live studio audience.

“The whole concept and the format is very fresh,” Nguyen said. “It’s ‘(Project) Runway’ crossed over with ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ ”

Nguyen was born in My Tho, a city in the province of Tien Giang in southern Vietnam. At age 13, he immigrated with his family to Olympia in 1993.

While at Olympia High School, Nguyen took a textile design sewing class. He also volunteered to create costumes for the drama club.

“Thai read the play, and I gave him some vague ideas about what we needed,” recalled Olympia High School drama teacher Kathy Dorgan . “He researched the period – the early 1900s – and created wonderful costumes, two of which we still use today.”

Dorgan also vividly remembers Nguyen’s entry into the student talent show.

“It was so encouraging and thrilling for those of us who had the opportunity to work with him and recognized his talent in commitment to pursuing his passion for design,” she said. “I have often wondered where he ended up, so it’s exciting to hear this news about him.”

Nguyen’s parents ran a private sewing school in Vietnam, and knew how time-consuming and competitive it can be to make a name in the fashion industry. They encouraged their son to pursue a more stable career, such as accounting. But he didn’t listen.

After graduating high school in 1999, Nguyen went on to attend the prestigious Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California. He landed a job as associate designer for BCBG Max Azria. In 2008, he and his business partner – Helen Nguyen, who is a close friend – opened a showroom and storefront Thai Nguyen Couture, in California’s affluent Orange County.

“I cater to bridal and Vietnamese celebrities,” Nguyen said. “I do one-of-a-kind right now.”

Over the years, he has become one of the choice designers for prominent Vietnamese entertainment companies, including Asia Entertainment, Van Son Entertainment and Thuy Nga.

In February, the designer plans to launch his own line of ready wear, under the label Thai Nguyen Couture. He describes the collection of wrap tops, tunic tops and short and long dresses as “very flowy, casual, elegant and romantic.”

Nguyen thinks the reality television show will help bring mainstream name recognition to his line.

“Hopefully you’ll see all of my designs mass produced all over,” he said.

Hosted by designers Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARED2, “Launch My Line” was filmed from March through April in California. Fashion moguls Stefani Greenfield and Lisa Kline were tapped as judges.

Due to the show’s publicity rules, Nguyen wasn’t allowed to go into detail about the competition.

But he said the show promises a high level of reality drama.

“There are some good times, and some bad times, so laughing times and some crying times,” he said. “There are a lot of different emotions and drama that people can follow. With ‘Project Runway,’ it’s just the designer. With “Launch My Line,” it’s a pair; it’s a couple thing. You get double to dose (of drama).”