Welcome to tracynguyen.us

Growing up in Southeast Asia, my father was an artist, and my mother owned a textile company. I would often play with leftover fabrics from my mom’s work, making clothes for dolls and dreaming of a future in fashion. As a shy girl, shaped by the reserved nature of Asian culture, I wasn’t as outgoing as American kids. But when I turned 15, my brother, who was in college, took me to fashion shows at his school. I would tag along, quietly imagining myself walking the runway.

Three days before one of the shows, a model dropped out, and they needed someone to fill in. To my surprise, they asked me to step in. I was over the moon and thrilled to walk the runway. That experience boosted my confidence, and when I turned 17, I decided to compete in the Miss Vietnam beauty pageant in the Vietnamese community in California. I wanted to challenge myself and push beyond my comfort zone. I ended up winning first runner-up in 1998, and again in 2000.

These experiences opened doors for me, leading to community work, charity events, and helping me grow comfortable being in front of crowds. By the time I turned 18, I wanted to attend fashion school, but my parents encouraged me to choose a more stable career. I ultimately majored in Management Information Systems, but my passion for fashion never faded. I attended modeling auditions whenever I could, despite facing rejections. Some agencies told me I was too short for runway modeling but recommended beauty and hair modeling instead. My persistence paid off when I landed my first paid modeling job a year later for a documentary book.

After graduating in 2000, I became busy with my new real estate job, but fashion remained close to my heart. In 2007, I seized the opportunity to start my own clothing brand, Savee Couture. I thought, "If they won’t hire me to model, I’ll model my own clothes." In the first year, I modeled my own designs, and a year later, the business took off. By 2022, our brand was acquired by Baccio Couture.

After spending 18 years in the fashion industry, I’ve seen it transform from handcrafted, high-quality pieces to the dominance of fast fashion. I believe Millennials are the last generation that truly experienced fashion before the rise of fast, disposable trends. Now, I’m dedicating the rest of my career to promoting sustainable fashion, focusing on recycling, mindful consumption, and making conscious choices—buying less, choosing better, and reducing waste to protect the environment. Social media has become my platform to share this message, and my passion for fashion continues to grow stronger every day.