Bravo’s The Ultimate Collection break out star – Calvin Tran

— the young man with a classical, chiseled facial structure explodes in laughter when asked about his decision to become a fashion designer.

That young man is the fashion designer Calvin Tran, a prominent Vietnamese-American designer out of New York. You might have seen him on “The Fashion Show – Ultimate Collection” (second season) where his outspoken personality and design earned him Fashion International Group’s coveted Style Breaker award. Calvin and his work have been featured in acclaimed publications such as The New York Times, Woman’s Wear Daily, Lucky, Cosmopolitan, Chicago Social, US Weekly and The Men’s Book. His work also appeared on ABC 7’s “Best of Chicago” and “Asian Influence,” The Buena Vista International Upfronts and San Francisco Chronicles “The Inside Scoop.

Calvin’s semi-nonsensical phrases like “Oh, here go hell come” have brought him to the attention of The Soup and YouTube.

Quite an achievement for such a young man. Curiously I asked, “the awards and recognitions, you got quite a few over the years. How did you manage to get so many? Did you have to work harder for them?

Burst out in laughter Calvin answered, “No I don’t think about them. Not at all. The thing about awards is that when you don’t think about them, not looking for them, they come looking for you. I just focus on doing what I love doing, that I’m passionate about. I don’t let fear or harsh criticism hold me back from achieving my dream. The awards found me. It’s all part of the success package I think!”

“What good may come from fiddling with needles and threads?”

It was during his first year of college that he realized he wasn’t very good at math and science, or any other subjects. Fashion was on his mind and he somehow knew he’ll be good at it. “As the days passed, it has become clear that my heart was set on fashion,” Calvin recalled. Making the decision to switch major to studying fashion design wasn’t easy he said. In the back of his mind, he could hear his mother’s voice echoing the words “Fashion? What good may come from fiddling with needles and threads?”

But Calvin has made up his mind, he followed through with his decision. He chose Fashion Design as his major field of study and completed college earning his BFA from Illinois Institute of Art. The decision to study fashion making it his lifetime career was one of the best decision he made by far. Calvin’s career as a fashion designer took off even before he graduated from college. And it hasn’t stopped since.

Shortly after graduated from college, Calvin landed a job as Creative Director for Zabari in New York. He went on opening his first store, Sac Boutique, in Chicago in 2000. It was a daring move but it was a success. His fashion suddenly became in demand. His customers rave his designs and so did many Hollywood Stars like Drew Barrymore Gina Gershon, Brooke Shields, Piper Perabo.

Riding on the success of his first store, Calvin went on opening two more store locations in New York and San Francisco the following years.

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Family support

Studying Calvin’s designs, my mind traveled, reliving childhood dreams. Unlike friends at the same age who liked to play outdoors and joined groups to share hobbies, I used to immerse myself in an imaginary world filled with stories about strong girls who would wear stylish, colorful clothes. But as I grew older, my mother steered me away from creativity and the arts into literature and mathematics. I still remember I used to get yelled at because I didn’t get a good grade in math and she didn’t even notice when I showed her a beautiful painting which I diligently drew.

Remembering this bitter episode, I asked Calvin: “When choosing a fashion design career, did you have support from your family?”

He laughed out loud. “Nobody,” he answered. “My own mother said, What good will come from fiddling with needles and threads? Your siblings were allowed to learn how to sew, fiddling with needles and threads all these years. Has anything good come about as the result? Sewing is NOT a career!” Even her friends advised, “Oh child, don’t choose this major. You won’t find any work.”Continue reading »

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For elders like those of our parents’ generation, who were born and raised in time of war and hardship, they envision life differently. They are more practical when it comes to what we should learn in school and the career we choose for ourselves. They are only comfortable with a few solid, proven career that will put food on the table and pay the bills. Such as Engineering, Accounting, Finance, Medical.. never Fashion. They do not understand nor realize how big the fashion industry is and the amount of money it generates.

We are the young generation. In today’s society, we are encouraged to live out our dreams. See the world as for how we envision it. We are often encouraged to ‘break out of the norm‘, ‘think outside the box‘ and ‘dream the impossible dream.‘ Set a new boundary and redefine success. That’s the mode of today world and I believe Calvin understood it well and built his success on this foundation.

“One must know no fear”

After his freshman year in college, Calvin decided to switch to a fashion design major. “I just took a chance and study fashion design to see what would happen,” the man with a Northern Vietnamese accent said, smiling as he recalled the first steps of his career.

Calvin immediately went to K-Mart and bought a sewing machine. “I had never sewn before, but I put the thread through the needle, placed the fabric on and sewed. At first, it was zig-zagging like a snake, but eventually, it got straight,” he remembered.

Soon, he would pour his heart and feelings onto fabric to create structures floating in his mind. In his first semester at the Arts Institute in Chicago, Calvin emerged with the ‘Designer of the Year” award – one honor followed by many others from Fashion Group International. “At the time, I had no clue what those awards were all about. I just sent (designs) out to compete and was not even sure I was actually good at it. But surprisingly, they actually like me,” he recalled.

In 1995, Calvin also won an award for “’Best Evening Wear.” That convinced him to come back to Chicago to open a men’s fashion company known as K-oss, about two years before he finished his studies.

After graduation, Calvin headed to New York, one of the leading fashion capitals in the world. He tried to leverage what he learned in approaching a competitive, colorful and diverse playing field, where he had the chance to serve as an apprentice to renowned fashion veteran Carolina Herrera, winner of the “Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Later, Calvin worked as creative director for Zabari, a famed fashion store in New York. Then to satisfy his own thirst to create designs with his unique signature, he took a big leap and opened his first store, Sac Boutique, in Chicago in 2000.

His designs have been described as seductive and feminine, yet subtle with a touch of the daredevil, and his work quickly attracted attention from fashion lovers. Calvin’s product lines began to be featured in big-name publications, while his face became more familiar to viewers in the second season of “The Fashion Show,” produced by the BRAVO channel with Isaac Mizrahi and Iman as emcees.

Listening to Calvin’s story, it seems that his road to success unfolded quickly and simply. “Was there a time people criticized your designs?” I wanted to know.

“Of course, a lot of criticism!” he answered candidly. “ Like when I was doing ‘The Ultimate Collection’ show on the BRAVO channel, the first blouse Calvin designed was criticized so bad, so so bad, to the point I can’t describe it!”

I was surprised. “So do you … get sad when you are criticized so much?”

“Sad, not so much because the designs Calvin creates must be the designs that I like first. There is no way I can satisfy everyone. If it is ‘art’ or ‘fashion,’ then each person has his or her own opinion. Whoever likes to criticize, feel free to criticize and don’t buy. If they like it and give compliments, then buy to support me! It’s easy.”

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He goes on to explain that “to be successful in fashion design, you first have to understand the ‘fashion culture:’ Not everyone will like your design regardless of how exquisite or extraordinary it may be. And you are not there to please everyone with your design. Have no fear! One way or the other, your design will get criticism from fashion critics, reviewers, columnists, and even customers. Some may be bad. Some may be good. Or mostly bad for all it matters. You should have no fear! As long as you are passionate about your work and your creation. Be yourself, be bold and express yourself through your work. Do not let fear strays your path to success. If you let the fear of failure, the fear of harsh criticism slows you down or change your way, you will never be successful. On the other hand, if your design is too banal then be fearful!”

Calvin has his fair share of failure quite early in his career as a designer. Having won the coveted prize from the Fashion Group International in his first year while studying design, Calvin was eliminated during the first round of the same competition in his second year.

That time Calvin said he was so embarrassed. “I wanted to jump off the bridge because I thought it was too difficult for me. But when I calmed down, I thought it’s just part of life that I was refused like that – it’s nothing. One person doesn’t like it doesn’t mean everybody doesn’t like it. When I like it, I do it. If I love my own products, then there is no need to fear others who criticize it,” he said.

“No need to fear! How?” Thinking to myself. Then I continue to ask, “What do you think is the biggest challenge a designer has to face?”

“The biggest challenge is the imagination. Coming up with a design that is original, authenticly yours and the ability to directly translate it into reality, onto the fabric and over the body. When complete, the clothing has to fit comfortably over the body, enhance the beauty of the human body. Making the person wearing it feels so wonderful he/she never want to take it off.” Calvin responded simply.

One interesting note: Most designers do not wear their own ‘designs’ so they would never know how their clients feel wearing it, according to Calvin, who chooses to venture from this norm. After creating something new, he says he is the first person to try it on to check if anything needs to be fixed.

Calvin’s working philosophy is to “be honest and believe in yourself. Follow your own thoughts. If you like it, then you have to do it.”

Calvin Trần Classic Collection

I’m not sure if I can match the confidence Calvin possesses, but what he shared brings me new perspectives about his industry. I understand challenges I might encounter and overcome if I choose the road of becoming a fashion designer. I know that listening to the heart will give me the energy to push toward success.

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