There’s… no limit

Born in Vietnam back in 1964, Tom Nguyen’s family relocated to Los Angeles, California where Tom was brought up as the younger brother to five vivacious sisters. It was this overwhelming tide femininity at home that helped shape his eye for fashion.

In fact, after being in the business for 17 years, he still takes inspiration from his five big sisters. Innately drawn to the arts – he is also a keen photographer – Tom used to love making clothes for them while he was growing up.

Over the years he was inspired by the work of designers such as Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts and eventually, he decided to pursue a career in fashion. Tom began working his way up the ladder at several Los Angeles companies before landing the position of head designer at Poleci. By 2000, he had launched a collection in his own name: Tom K Nguyen.

His collections are always grounded in the cool basics that pin down a woman’s wardrobe and invariably exude sensuousness, confidence and charisma. Yet his designs seem to accent a woman's personality without upstaging her.

Tom tweaks classic American sportswear with stylish details: embroidery, European lace trim, copper sequins and old world pointelle – all discovered during his extensive travels. Fabrics are a passion for this designer and his ability to mix and match has become a collection signature. Each season luxury fabrics such as cashmere, Lurex silk tweed, Italian wools, and cotton voile are juxtaposed with durable materials including twill, jersey and canvas.

The brand Tom K Nguyen developed a cult following which includes Jessica Alba, Mischa Barton, and Terri Hatcher amongst others. Now Nguyen plans to reinvent his label as SIXTYFOUR89, set to launch in fall 2010. Vietnamese fashionistas will get a chance to have a sneak preview at the Eighth Dep Fashion Show on September 26.

The collection is dedicated to traditional tailoring, pattern-making, draping in advance to raise the quality and details. Innovative fabric, recycled items and circle cuts are essential in this collection.

The collection also incorporates the most basic pieces in every professional, modern and sophisticated woman’s closet. With all the elements above, he would like to bring his clothing line beyond generational lines, hence his slogan: “Beyond the Limit.”

The most basic items of a woman that lives in the city are a white T-shirt, a button up shirt, a black suit, a black dress and lastly, a pair of jeans. Applying his new cutting techniques, Nguyen gives those pieces new shapes, lines and dimensions on the body with sculptural effects. He mixes femininity and masculinity, casual and formal fabric textures, tailored and deconstructed styles, to create clothes that are modern, sophisticated and smart.

But there’s also undoubtedly a touch of avant-garde about his designs. He recycles a basic white T-shirt from Calvin Klein into a pleated dress with angled dimensions. With perforated organic cotton and recycled paper, he creates an unusual button-up shirt with open back detail. A blazer chopped in half is paired with oversized tuxedo trousers to create a unique black suit.

Every designer has his muse, for Tom he is inspired by the thought of dressing the actress Tilda Swinton and the model Stella Tenant, who have in his mind “great taste” and are “professional, smart and beautiful”.
“They make what they’re wearing come alive and give character to their clothes,” says Nguyen. “Will my dream come true? Maybe, maybe not... but sometimes, we always have to dream ‘Beyond the Limit!’”

Regarding the economic crisis, Tom believes all designers wish to make customers come to the store so designs should be wearable and affordable. But according to Tom, people also need to express themselves. Don’t dress for your male or female friends or anyone else! Do it for yourself!