Chloe Dao
Encyclopedia
Chloe Dao is an American fashion designer of Vietnamese
ancestry who lives and works in Houston, Texas
. She was the winner of the second season
of the reality show Project Runway with a collection of women's evening wear. Many of the pieces in her finale collection featured billowing, voluminous sleeves, removable shrugs and strong brocade
prints.
. During the Vietnamese civil war
Dao's parents moved to Thailand
to escape the conflict. The family, including Dao, her parents and seven sisters, emigrated to the United States in 1979. Growing up she redesigned vintage clothes; her first original was her senior prom dress.
and studied marketing, dropping out after a year and a half. She then enrolled at Houston Community College's design program and at New York's
Fashion Institute of Technology
(FIT), graduating in 1994 with an associate's degree
in pattern-making.
While still at FIT, Dao took a job with Madame Rossuel, a costume couture shop on the Upper East Side
of New York City. After graduation, she worked at knit and sportswear company, Finity as a design assistant and patternmaker. Leaving Finity after one year, she took a job with Melinda Eng as a design assistant and production manager, where she stayed for six years. She then went to work for Catherine Dietlein as an assistant buyer before returning to Houston to open her own boutique, Lot 8. The name of the store is a reference to the eight Dao sisters in her family. Her clothes have been featured in Lucky magazine as well as in a variety of Texas publications including the Houston Chronicle
and Texas Monthly
.
, Dao expressed some reservations about her desire to win the competition. In the end, the judges selected her collection over those by the other finalists: Santino Rice
and Daniel Vosovic
.
On Project Runway, she won the second episode, "Clothes Off Your Back" and the tenth episode, "Makeover." She was also in the top three in the fifth episode, "Social Scene", the sixth episode, "Window Shopping"; the seventh episode, "On Thin Ice"; and the ninth episode, "Flower Power." She was also in the bottom two in the eleventh episode, "What's Your Line."
Unlike the winner from season one, Jay McCarroll
, Dao accepted the winning prize of $100,000 and the mentorship from Banana Republic.
In January 2007, Dao’s designs were featured in the Smithsonian Museum in the “Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon” exhibit.
Dao’s reputation for understanding women and their bodies landed her a contract with Dove as their national spokesperson for the “Sleeveless Ready” campaign.
During Spring 2007 New York Fashion Week, LensCrafters chose Dao as the featured designer and as a panelist along with Tim Gunn
, Hal Rubenstein, Bobbie Thomas, and Gretta Monahan to discuss eyewear’s role as the “it” accessory.
In May 2007, Dao premiered a 13-piece collection on QVC
called Simply. Chloe Dao. which sold out during the televised broadcast.
In 2008 her effortless style and modern sensibility led her to partner with bag and travel gear maker Nuo Tech to create a line of mobile technology and travel accessories. The Dao Chloe Dao by Nuo Collection will be available at multiple retailers nationwide in the Spring of 2009.
She debuted her wholesale line "DAO Chloe DAO" in March, 2008 at the Dallas Market Center.
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
ancestry who lives and works in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. She was the winner of the second season
Project Runway (season 2)
Project Runway Season 2 was the second season of Bravo's successful Project Runway, a reality competition for fashion designers. Season 2 began airing on December 7, 2005. Following a nationwide search earlier in the year, sixteen designers were chosen as semi-finalists and brought to New York...
of the reality show Project Runway with a collection of women's evening wear. Many of the pieces in her finale collection featured billowing, voluminous sleeves, removable shrugs and strong brocade
Brocade
Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli," comes from Italian broccato meaning "embossed cloth," originally past participle of the verb broccare...
prints.
Biography
Dao was born in Pakse, LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. During the Vietnamese civil war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
Dao's parents moved to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
to escape the conflict. The family, including Dao, her parents and seven sisters, emigrated to the United States in 1979. Growing up she redesigned vintage clothes; her first original was her senior prom dress.
Education and early career
Dao attended the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and studied marketing, dropping out after a year and a half. She then enrolled at Houston Community College's design program and at New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
(FIT), graduating in 1994 with an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
in pattern-making.
While still at FIT, Dao took a job with Madame Rossuel, a costume couture shop on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of New York City. After graduation, she worked at knit and sportswear company, Finity as a design assistant and patternmaker. Leaving Finity after one year, she took a job with Melinda Eng as a design assistant and production manager, where she stayed for six years. She then went to work for Catherine Dietlein as an assistant buyer before returning to Houston to open her own boutique, Lot 8. The name of the store is a reference to the eight Dao sisters in her family. Her clothes have been featured in Lucky magazine as well as in a variety of Texas publications including the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
and Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
.
Project Runway
During the taping of Project RunwayProject Runway (season 2)
Project Runway Season 2 was the second season of Bravo's successful Project Runway, a reality competition for fashion designers. Season 2 began airing on December 7, 2005. Following a nationwide search earlier in the year, sixteen designers were chosen as semi-finalists and brought to New York...
, Dao expressed some reservations about her desire to win the competition. In the end, the judges selected her collection over those by the other finalists: Santino Rice
Santino Rice
Santino Quinto Rice is an American fashion designer and television personality. He is best known for his appearances on the reality television programs Project Runway, RuPaul's Drag Race, and On the Road with Austin and Santino.-Early life:Rice was born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri...
and Daniel Vosovic
Daniel Vosovic
Daniel Vosovic is a fashion designer and a finalist in season 2 of the reality show, Project Runway. He was the winner of the Project Runway All-Star Challenge, which aired on August 20, 2009.-Biography:...
.
On Project Runway, she won the second episode, "Clothes Off Your Back" and the tenth episode, "Makeover." She was also in the top three in the fifth episode, "Social Scene", the sixth episode, "Window Shopping"; the seventh episode, "On Thin Ice"; and the ninth episode, "Flower Power." She was also in the bottom two in the eleventh episode, "What's Your Line."
Unlike the winner from season one, Jay McCarroll
Jay McCarroll
Jay McCarroll is a fashion designer who gained fame after winning the debut season of the competitive reality show Project Runway in 2005.-Career:...
, Dao accepted the winning prize of $100,000 and the mentorship from Banana Republic.
After Project Runway
Even with the win of PR2, Dao continues to develop and grow her boutique’s business in Houston.In January 2007, Dao’s designs were featured in the Smithsonian Museum in the “Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon” exhibit.
Dao’s reputation for understanding women and their bodies landed her a contract with Dove as their national spokesperson for the “Sleeveless Ready” campaign.
During Spring 2007 New York Fashion Week, LensCrafters chose Dao as the featured designer and as a panelist along with Tim Gunn
Tim Gunn
Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn is an American fashion consultant and television personality. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative...
, Hal Rubenstein, Bobbie Thomas, and Gretta Monahan to discuss eyewear’s role as the “it” accessory.
In May 2007, Dao premiered a 13-piece collection on QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
called Simply. Chloe Dao. which sold out during the televised broadcast.
In 2008 her effortless style and modern sensibility led her to partner with bag and travel gear maker Nuo Tech to create a line of mobile technology and travel accessories. The Dao Chloe Dao by Nuo Collection will be available at multiple retailers nationwide in the Spring of 2009.
She debuted her wholesale line "DAO Chloe DAO" in March, 2008 at the Dallas Market Center.
External links
- Project Runway Designer Bio: Chloe Dao
- Lot 8 Boutique
- Chloe Dao 2007 Interview on Sidewalks EntertainmentSidewalks EntertainmentSidewalks Entertainment is a long-running, weekly American television series that is a combination of a talk show, magazine show and variety show featuring celebrity interviews, music, artistic and novelty acts, and rising performers...
- Chloe Dao Official Website
- Chloe Dao for Nuo Collection website
- "The Concierge Questionnaire-Cloe Dao Interview" www.conciergequestionnaire.com 2009-04-17 retrieved 2010-03-03