Thai Nguyen (pronounced Tie-Win), born in My Tho, learned to sew at the age of nine sitting in on classes at his parents’ sewing school in Saigon, Vietnam. In 1993, the family immigrated to the United States, where Thai is now a fashion designer, based in Orange County, California. His designs, for clients such as Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Kelly Marie Tran, Ali Wong, Katherine McPhee, and Cindy Crawford, have been featured in top publications and have graced the red carpets of the Met Gala, the Oscars, the Grammys, and film and television premieres. Thai’s love of the áo dài, this iconic symbol of Vietnam, has been and will continue to be the wellspring for all his creations. Mai’s Áo Dài is his debut picture book.