The 33 year-old designer last week won US$100,000 and a $24,000 Saturn car from the project run by Bravo Cable TV in the US.
“Her father used to say tailors and carpenters have no future, so when she asked us to go to New York and study fashion I did not want to support her financially so she’d choose another career,” Chloe’s mother, Luong Thuc Hue told Thanh Nien by telephone from the US.
However, her daughter, determined to pursue a career in fashion, rented a room for $1,000 a month and supported her studies by working part-time.
“She is full of resolve, typically Vietnamese. She has Quang Nam (central province) blood running in her veins”, the mother said proudly of her daughter.
Hue said she would visit Vietnam’s Hoi An ancient town this Tet (lunar New Year).
Brief portrait
Born Vietnamese Dao Mong Tuyet in Laos as sixth child of eight girls in her family, she emigrated to the US with her family in 1979 and settled in Houston, Texas.
By the age of ten, Chloe saw her first episode of “Style with Elsa Klensch” on CNN and knew she wanted to be a fashion designer.
She began her pursuit of becoming a designer and enrolled in the fashion design program at Houston Community College, and later the Fashion Institute of Technology.
After graduating with an Associate’s degree, she worked as a design assistant for a time before joining the internationally renowned Catherine Dietlein Buying Office.
With all the knowledge gleaned hitherto, she decided it was time to establish her own business.
Chloe opened Lot 8 boutique six years ago in Houston, named after the eight daughters, which showcases Chloe's diverse collection of cocktail dresses, evening gowns, and sportswear.
It is one of Houston's premiere boutiques and is regularly featured in Lucky magazine and local media.
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