Where to buy ao dai in seattle

Her shop is one of the only few ao dai tailoring shops in Seattle, where 13, people of Vietnamese descent live. Adam Tailor looks exactly like a typical tailor shop in Vietnam: rows of ao dai hanging on the wall on racks all over the store.

On a recent day, a woman works on a sewing machine in the middle of the shop, right next to a small cash register. Before coming to America, Nhung and Be Nguyen no relation to the author had a small tailoring shop in Vietnam. Nhung Nguyen talked about her husband with a big grin. They started became tailors when they were teenagers, even before they met each other and fell in love. After they started a family, he made his way to the United States.

In , Be Nguyen left Vietnam and spent two years in a refugee camp in Philippines. Nhung Nguyen was 26 when her husband left. She and their three teenage children finally arrived in the United States in When arriving in Seattle, Be Nguyen immediately opened up a tailoring service in — a shop that is still open seven days a week. The family all joined their father in his already established service in Downtown Seattle. But it was a very small shop, and Nhung Nguyen had bigger plans.

I also designed ao dai. After years of designing unique custom-made ao dai, Nhung Nguyen recently stopped making custom orders from scratch because of her age. She now produces only one size of ao dai, then alters the pieces to fit each customer. Nhung Nguyen finds her passion and happiness in managing this small shop, despite the occasional tight deadline and demanding customer. She first came to America with little knowledge of language and culture, but Nhung Nguyen adapted to the U. The shop has also built a clientele of non-Vietnamese customers, who have orders for all sorts of clothing alterations.

The shop is lined with racks and racks of pants-too-long and shirts-too-tight, which the family later transforms into a much better fit. This festival celebrates the cultural roots and traditions of Vietnamese Americans during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. For two days, attendees gain a glimpse into the spirit and energy of Vietnam through arts, music, hands-on experiences, and performances unique to Vietnam. Additional features include offerings of traditional Vietnamese food, awe-inspiring lion dances, curated ao dai fashion show, and an all-inclusive health fair, providing free health services, screenings, and medical support.

The colors, red and yellow, are seen to be extremely lucky; it is common to see these colors draped up and down the streets, and donned as apparel. TIS was formed in with a mission to celebrate and preserve traditional Vietnamese culture and heritage in Seattle. Jenny A. This event is free and open to the public. Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashews in the world and the second largest exporter of rice.