Fashion designer Tom Nguyen.    

Fashion designer Tom Nguyen takes inspiration from his love of travel and five special women who sparked a passion in him for elegance, sensuality and stylish women of all cultures. Paris, Rome, London, and Tokyo are just a few of his stops to source for style. Born in Vietnam, and re-located to Southern California, Nguyen was the youngest in his household and grew up surrounded by his five vivacious older sisters, He quickly became enthralled with the creativity and excitement of a woman's personal style.

Innately drawn to the arts, especially photography, and experiencing the excitement of making clothing for the women in his life, the role of fashion designer was a natural one for Nguyen. The photographs of Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts caught Nguyen's eye for their use of light, shadow and the confident women they captured. Experiencing these images convinced him to pursue a career in fashion. Working his way up the ladder at several Los Angeles companies, Nguyen landed the position of head designer at Poleci. In 2000, he launched his namesake collection.

Sensuous, confident and charismatic are three qualities that come to mind when describing the Tom K Nguyen collection. It is grounded in cool basics that hold their own in a women's closet. The clothes have lean silhouettes, comfortable tailoring and excellent fit, accenting a woman's personality without upstaging her. His suits, for example, are distinguished by their utilitarian and feminine fit.

Nguyen tweaks his take on classic American sportswear with artisan details such as embroidery, European lace trim, copper sequins and old world pointelle, all discovered during his travels. Fabrics are a passion for the designer and mixing them 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. In less than five years, Nguyen has developed a cult following which includes Jessica Alba, Mischa Barton, and Terri Hatcher amongst others.