London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Meet Bach Mai, an American Couturier in Making

Meet Bach Mai, an American Couturier in Making

Bach Mai grew up in Houston as the son of Vietnamese immigrants. His American dream is to create a couture atelier in New York.


Bach Mai has electric blue hair and Vietnamese immigrants for parents. He is not a couturier of the old school, but he doesn’t lack for atelier experience. A graduate of Parsons, he was assisting in the first studio at Oscar de la Renta during the fall 2013 season that John Galliano created a capsule collection for the New York designer. Not long after, with a master’s degree from Paris’s Institut Français de la Mode, Mai went to work for Galliano as he established himself at Maison Margiela.

“I fell in love with couture at a really young age because of John,” Mai says. “And it was always my dream to come back and be an American designer.” Mai’s debt to Galliano and his years at Margiela is clear in the bias draping of both a silver lurex panné velvet halter dress and a black flocked dot tulle and lace shawl collar godet gown. The curves of Cristobal Balenciaga and the mid-century photography of Irving Penn and Richard Avedon that captured them are obvious influences on the sculptural skirt volumes of his strapless and racer-back party dresses, but equally, he credits the pink frock Carrie Bradshaw famously faints in at Lincoln Center in Sex and the City. “That’s something that stuck with me as a kid,” he remembers.



Mai was a teenager in Houston when he began making clothes for his cousin and friends. In Texas in the high season Today, he’s 32, and he’s building his new label with the backing of Hurel, the imminent French textile supplier, in an arrangement that allows him to use materials “that young designers could only dream of.” A corded lace with a silver crystal holofoil treatment whose effect he describes as “intergalactic courtesan” stands out, as do the fil coupé organza jacquards based on the works Triumph of Galatea and the Green Paintings by his favorite artist Cy Twombly.



His bride wears another Hurel fil coupé organza, this one in white and matte silver, with Chantilly lace accents. “The most beautiful part of couture is the relationship between client and designer,” Mai says. “That’s why I want the heart of the collection to be these special made-to-order pieces.” Complementing the made-to-measure offerings are a sculpted-back bomber in silk moiré, boxy blazers and tear-away basketball shorts in transparent organza, and little moiré peplum tops and leather pencil skirts, a selection of which are now available by preorder on his website. Though they’re off-the-rack, they retain his couture’s unabashed femininity and irreverent glamour. The clothes are entirely made in New York.

“We do have the know-how here, the craftsmanship,” Mai says. “To help keep that alive and to build that back up is beautiful.” From his midtown studio he’s putting plans together to take his debut collection on the road. Texas friends are planning “couture Tupperware parties.” Back home in Houston, Mai’s parents are cheering him on. “My dad’s an engineer,” he says. “I learned from him how to break apart how things work. That’s why I’m so still fascinated by construction and how to put things together.” Step-by-step, his plan is to build the next American couture house.


Comments

General Butler 4 year ago
The headline is deficient, lacking the preface "Here's What's Wrong With the World".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×