25-year-old fashion designer of Lao descent, Nary Manivong, paraded his 2007 Spring Collection in New York City during the New York Fashion Week. In a recent interview with VOA, Nary talked proudly about his creations and his success in breaking through the fashion industry. But Nary said he had originally wanted to create men’s fashion.
“I’ve always wanted to design men clothing,
but since men’s lines are harder to break into, I started with women’s lines instead. As of now, I’m working on my label, and I’ll get into men’s later on once I get my name established. Currently, I have a design studio/showroom in uptown New York, which is not open to the public, just my work space where I do all of my work.”
Nary was born and raised in Ohio. He moved to New York with only $200 in his pocket. He is a self-made fashion designer who wanted only the best for himself, despite his difficult upbringing. As a young boy, Nary loved to draw and sketch cartoons and silhouettes. He said he moved toward women fashion, partly because he is interested in women and wants them to look great.
A self-taught designer who’s not afraid to apply his unique vision to his creations, Nary focuses mainly on the silhouette figure of women. He wants the women who wear his creations to look young, fearless, real and timeless. He wants to bring out a more feminine and sexier look in every woman who wears his clothes.
“This is my invention. Every woman who wears my clothes is also wearing a part of me. She will look timeless, confident, sexy,
modern and yet classic all together. I want her to feel good, look good and ready to go out in her off-hours.”
Besides his unique Women’s Wear Daily(WWD) clothing, Nary also designs accessories. His heart-shaped, hand-painted leather coin purses on key chains are ones among many. They are very popular and sold at specialty stores in Manhattan.
At age 25, Nary already has his own label, on top of his game and still striving for more.
“Mizuo Peck is wearing my dresses in her upcoming movie, “Peace of Mind.” Of course, I dream of having my dresses worn by actresses to red carpet events like: Oscar or Emmy or any other award ceremony. My advice to members of the younger generation out there is to be true to yourself. Of course you will have positive and negative people around you, but do go with the positive. Achieve something from nothing. You have to make it, and to make it you have to really be yourself, be who you are, be real and do the best for yourself.”
For further more information on Nary Manivong and his fashion, contact Nary directly at his site at www.narymanivong.com
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