Bach Mai on Designing H.E.R.'s Grammys Dress and His New KitchenAid Collab
Innovation in fashion continues to reach new heights with emerging New York-based designer, Bach Mai. The son of Vietnamese parents who immigrated to Houston, Mai started out working as an apprentice for the Houston Ballet. He later cultivated his passion for dressmaking at the Parsons School of Design and while studying under John Galliano at Maison Margiela. No stranger to the New York Fashion Week scene, the designer returned with a captivating Fall 2023 collection entitled "Cave of the Sirens," which he told POPSUGAR is inspired by an exploration of light and embraces an aesthetic that "empowers the wearer".
A host of celebrities have worn Mai's enchanting designs, including award-winning singer and actress, H.E.R. She graced the 2023 Grammy Awards carpet in a black, velvet dress by the designer that featured a sharply curved neckline, tiered peplum waist, soft bodice, and sheer skirt with matte velvet swirls. "Every time someone chooses to wear something from us, I have to pinch myself a bit," said Mai. "It is quite surreal to think about our designs being worn on red carpets which I used to follow obsessively when I was younger like the Met Gala, the Grammys, and the Golden Globes."
Other celebrities like Lupita Nyong'o and Olivia Palermo have worn his designs at the "Black Panther" press tour and Glamour Women of the Year awards respectively.
On Feb. 9, Mai joined stylist and creative director Marta Del Rio and American home appliance brand KitchenAid for a celebratory presentation in honor of their 2023 Color of the Year: Hibiscus. The special show debuted an avant-garde collection inspired by the brand's Artisan Stand Mixer and K400 Blender. It featured Del Rio and Mai's creations, along with the work of other talented designers such as Tia Adeola, Jackson Wiederhoeft, Vesper Han of Man Made Skins, and Tara Babylon.
As a lover of culinary arts, partnering with KitchenAid seemed almost innate for Mai, who used their classic stand mixer throughout his childhood. "We feel that [this design] recalls the luscious petal shapes of the enchanting hibiscus flower while also achieving the inverted silhouette of the iconic bowl shape of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer," he shared.
Del Rio also feels Bach Mai was an organic fit for the project. The stylist, who has worked with everyone from Billie Eilish to Paris Hilton, personally selected the talented designer. "I wanted to champion young designers that have developed a uniquely identifiable visual language within their collections in the same way that KitchenAid has an immediately recognizable set of design codes," Del Rio explained. "Bach Mai felt like a natural obvious choice because of the elegance and proportions of his work. I knew he could take inspiration from both the man-made product and the hibiscus itself to create a beautiful piece that would be both incredibly creative and wearable, and he succeeded."
Ahead, Bach Mai opens up about his Fall 2023 collection, his many celebrity fans, and his collaboration with KitchenAid. Keep reading for the full interview, and scroll down to shop the new appliances.
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