Designer Chloe Dao Appears on Make It Happen With David Lorms

Escaping Vietnam, not knowing the English Language, Chloe Dao lands in America to become one of the Nations Top Designers
By: Lorms Insurance Services
 
HOUSTON - Sept. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- Designer Chloe Dao Appears on Make It Happen With David Lorms

From a non-English speaking Vietnamese-American child born in Laos to one of the world’s top fashion designers, Houstonian Chloe Dao has a story and message as spectacular as her fashions. She sat down with David Lorms on his radio show, Make It Happen with David Lorms recently and discussed family, fashion and philosophy.

The winner of season 2 Project Runway, Chloe is hardworking, gracious, helpful and most of all talented! One of her most endearing qualities is that she takes her fashion very seriously, but not herself!

At 6 she arrived in Texas, along with her hard-working parents and 7 sisters. (The early name of her shop was “Lot 8” in homage to The Dao Sisters.) They lived with an uncle, each parent working more than one job and the entire family working selling food at a flea market on weekends. “I certainly got my work ethic from my parents,” she has said. “I truly lived the American Dream. I was a cheerleader in school, a member of the Latin Club, served on my school newspaper and worked with my family on weekends.”

As she prepared food on Saturday mornings, she watched another immigrant to America, Elsa Klensch, on her fashion-oriented television show, Style. Early on she knew she wanted to be in the industry. She even crafted jewelry from things she found in her father’s garage! In junior high she bought used clothing and re-designed/constructed it into new clothing. The first dress she designed and made was her high school prom dress.

Chloe Dao on Project Runway
“I saw Season One and just loved the concept. I didn’t think I would win, but on the morning of the Houston auditions, I decided to go! I’m really glad I did!” The show opened many doors for her. She became a nationally-known name, made it onto QVC for 3 years, (got her a Dove Clear Deodorant commercial) and was the co-executive producer and judge for Project Runway Viet Nam. “It was an amazing experience to be in Viet Nam. I learned so much about my own Asian culture and helped those designers.”
Designers get very emotional on the show. “They cry on Project Runway a lot. This is fashion – people are going to love you and hate you. Learn to accept the criticism and rejection.“ When Lorms asked her if she would do Project Runway again, she laughingly answered, “Of course I would. It was a wonderful experience and I WON!”

Chloe Dao on Houston
“I love Houston. We give of ourselves to everyone and everything. There’s an organization for everything here.” Chloe has help raise funds for various Houston organizations from Spay Neuter Assistance Program to Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Pink Scarf Campaign” where she has designed different scarves different years for the sorority to sell to benefit the fight against breast cancer and has designed a T-shirt that is still selling at The Museum of Fine Art Houston. Lorms asked her why she has stayed in Houston and not moved her business to New York. “I’m in Houston because I like it here. There’s a better chance for business success for everyone in Houston. Financially it’s great for business and I am able to keep my entire operation here.” In fact, her Heights home is half home and half design studio.

Chloe Dao on Life Changes
Chloe says Dead Poet’s Society changed her life. She saw the film as a freshman at U of H studying business. She was inspired to follow her heart and make her future in the Fashion Industry. She dropped out of U of H to attend Houston Community College Fashion School and subsequently attended the Fashion Institute of Technology where she heard fashion icons speak. Finished with a pattern-making degree, because, “I was too vain to earn a fashion design degree!” Chloe took every kind of job in fashion she could because from the beginning, she wanted to own her own business. “You gotta be open to opportunities and I had some great ones. I worked in the New York fashion industry for 8 years.” Lorms mentioned that he thinks that we make our own opportunities and she agreed. “I saw designer Melinda Eng at a friend’s party. I swallowed down a glass of champagne and walked right up to her and told her, ‘You want me. You need me. I’m the best person you’ll ever find!’ She hired me from those 3 crazy sentences! You just have to believe in yourself. I learned the most from working for Melinda. “

Chloe Dao on her shop and business, Dao Chloe Dao
A very intelligent, experienced business woman told Chloe after Project Runway that her brand was Chloe Doa and not Lot 8. She had broad name recognition and her business needed to reflect that, thus the change. Chloe wears her own clothing, they go to size 12 and she will do custom sizes, is accessible in her own store and loves talking to customers. “I want to educate women about fashion. I’m like shopping with your trusted girlfriend who is highly educated in what to wear.” She designed a beautiful couture wedding gown for Jen Arnold of TLC’s The Little Couple when Jen and Bill renewed their wedding vows. “Layers and layers of chiffon! She looked really beautiful.” You can go to Chloe’s blog to see how it was made.
“It’s hard to start a business and it’s tough to sustain it. It’s an everyday challenge to stay in business. I remodeled the store to make it more open and welcoming. It was EXPENSIVE, but important. Fashion is esthetic – important to keep your atmosphere current.”

Chloe Dao on Personal Attitude
“I used to be all gotta do more, gotta be more, gotta see more (from Dead Poet’s Society) but it eventually made me really tired,” she laughs.
“Now I feel people should live their lives by defining their own level of success. There will always be someone richer, skinnier or better known.”

Her Corporate Motto: “Love life. Love fashion. Love, Chloe”

You can visit Chloe Dow’s brick and mortar at 6127 Kirby Drive in the Rice Village. Visit her website at www.ChloeDao.com.

David Lorms hosts Make It Happen With David Lorms, an internet radio show on www.KBRZSports.com live every Wednesday at noon about entrepreneurs, business owners, and successful people, their challenges and failures turned into success, and advise for people to better their lives and careers. Past episodes are available by pod cast on http://www.spreaker.com/user/7420120 or on Lorms's web site http://www.lormsinsuranceservicescom (http://www.lormsinsuranceservicescom%20and/) and (http://www.lormsinsuranceservicescom%20and/) on iHeartRadio. He is also an Award Winning Insurance Expert, Best-Selling Author having won numerous media awards, including the Quilly and the EXPY Awards for his shared industry knowledge. He's been featured in Forbes Magazine and USA Today and various other radio talk shows.

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Tags:Chloe Dao, David Lorms, Houston Insurance, Designer, Project Runway
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Location:Houston - Texas - United States
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