Next in Fashion’s Bao Tranchi: More Than Just The Cut-Out Queen | Exclusive
Bazaar Arabia speaks to Season Two’s Top 3 finalist about her experiences on the show, dressing Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lopez and working with Jack Black…
Watching Netflix’s Next in Fashion is a creative experience in itself. From seeing talented designers put their creativity and savoir-faire to the test, to world-renowned judges critiquing their every stitch, we as viewers, just can’t help but imagine what we could come up with if we were in the designers’ shoes (or gowns!) With all the trials and tribulations of competing for a cash prize and the chance to debut a collection with Rent-the-Runway, each contestant’s story has left a mark. But one contestant that continued to inspire us more than most: Bao Tranchi.
Bao Tranchi is an absolute powerhouse. A mother, a designer, a business owner… Coming from the humble background of an immigrant Vietnamese family, she grew up watching her mother work in a sweatshop, which ultimately is what gave her not only her desire to become a fashion designer, but also a businesswoman and leader that embodies female empowerment.
On the show, we see Bao always prepared for each challenge, for even in the toughest ones, she manages to maintain her signature high quality craftsmanship and sultry aesthetic. “I don’t want to be describable,” she proclaims as she dabbles in ready-to-wear, evening wear, costume design, and now even working on a shoe collaboration.
In speaking with her, we’ve realised that beyond her perfectionism and intimidating list of achievements Bao is a girl’s girl at heart, who champions “fixing each other’s crowns” and female camaraderie in all its forms. The Otis College of Art & Design alumna spoke with Bazaar Arabia and shared her journey from dressing Gigi Hadid at American Music Awards, to meeting her on the show, daring to never be typecast, working with Jack Black and more…
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia (HBA): What made you decide to go on the show?
Bao Tranchi (BT): Passion and financial necessity. I wanted the opportunity to show people what I can do in terms of the big scale. I have my own brand, I work in costume… But there are so many people involved in it that sometimes people think that a designers, all we do in sit and draw pretty pictures, and that’s it.
I love the A to Z of what I do, from literally taking a bolt of fabric and turning it into something magical, I love that I myself can do it. And it started because I didn’t have a lot of money, and to dream of being a fashion designer was so absurd in my immigrant family. If you can’t afford to hire the people to do things like pattern making, sample making, and all of that… Do you let that stop you from dreaming and doing what you knew you were born to do? You’re like “No, I’m going to learn how to do it myself.”
[Doing it yourself] also empowers you. I would go to tailors’ when my brand started growing and they would say “No, that’s not how it’s usually done.” I would say “Well actually, no. I’ve done three samples of it, we can do it.” So you’re more the master of your own creations.
It’s fun, but stressful as hell — and to do it all on an international level… Hell yes, let’s take this.
HBA: Although your craftsmanship is strong, were you able to maintain it during the challenges on the show?
BT: Having all the knowledge of construction, it made me design more. I also, in a way, placed higher standards on myself as where anyone else would be okay to have something be raw, I would need to have it be finished. And in many ways, I felt that since the judges were aware of my craftsmanship, they definitely put me through the wringer more for my sewing construction than anyone else. So it’s a Catch-22. Yes, I have all the skills, but I felt like I was judged at a different standard for it too.
HBA: In 2015, you designed Gigi Hadid’s red carpet look for the AMAs. How has your relationship with her developed since then?
BT: It was really on the show [where we became friends]. I’ve done so many celebrity looks, but a lot of it is so fast. You want to talk about the real-life Next in Fashion? That’s the real-life Next in Fashion!
I think I had two and a half days [for Gigi’s design]. And all that includes submitting a sketch to her people, the sketches being chosen and then making it. In a process like this, you’re not the only designer who’s in this. You design and you make for your life. And when [Gigi] picked [my design], it just happened so fast, and there’s no chance to get more time like on the show. There’s no time for first fittings, I didn’t even have the time to go and measure [her], and get to know her. It was so fast, and so furious, and then it exploded. It became a major red carpet moment, and it was amazing. And so on the first episode, [Gigi] came over and said “Oh, my God, I was so excited when it was you!” It was so sweet.
HBA: Do you see yourself doing more red carpet looks soon? Or has your aesthetic found itself in new directions?
BT: Oh, I never limit myself. I’ve done so much red carpet, and I love it. It’s all about creating that ‘WOW!’ moment, and I will never stop. I don’t limit myself. Life is meant to be lived, and when I say live, you keep on growing and evolving. Why limit yourself? In my career, many times people ask “Well are you going to just do this? Are you just going to do fashion? Are you just going to do costume?” For me, design is design.
What interlinks my work in fashion and costume is my obsession with making the most impact at that moment. If a woman walks into a room, how do I create the moment for her so she creates the most impact? Just like on a movie screen, this character is walking into a situation — how do I create impact whatever the situation is? It’s all the same psychology and the same obsession with the human body. How do I elevate the person so I never limit myself? I’m excited to do even more red carpet, doing more with my brand, and doing more with film.
HBA: What was it like designing for Jennifer Lopez?
BT: JLo really showcases the synchronicity between being fashion-forward, but also being very approachable. The reality of women is balancing being fierce and fashion-forward with being who we are in our everyday lives with work, kids, etc. [JLo] represents that. I think the reason why her wearing my dress for her birthday became such a viral sensation was because so many people were divided on either praising her for looking amazing, and on the other side they were pointing out that she’s 46 and a mom, saying “How can she be dressing like that?”
Sometimes being sexy is seen as a bad thing. And a lot of times it’s women putting other women down for it because they feel competitive about it, but being sexy to me is just owning your own body, however you want to showcase it.
HBA: Is there any celebrity in particular that you haven’t yet dressed but would love to?
BT: I would love a Lady Gaga moment! Bad-ass, beautiful women who mean it… Those are the women I love supporting.
HBA: What was the most challenge moment you had on the show?
BT: The transformation challenge, 100%. I remember telling one of our producers, Connor, “I would rather give birth again, then have to do this challenge”. We had the same amount of time as we did for our other challenges, but in essence, we had to make two dresses. And it wasn’t just two dresses, they had to actually transform and be functional. I set my standard high, because having worked in film; cinematically, I wanted it to be seamless when viewers watch it at home. [During the challenge], Tan France and Gigi Hadid would walk in and say “You’re only here?”, and it was because I was working from the inside out.
HBA: What was going through your mind when designing the finale collection?
BT: I wanted to showcase all the different sides of me that the judges hadn’t seen, because I felt that they wanted to see more than what I was casted to do… I was still going to have the cut-out pieces, but I wanted to push it, and that’s why I threw in a lot of tailoring pieces to showcase that I can do this. Since it was a Rent-the-Runway challenge, I wanted to show a full faceted collection, for all the pieces a woman would want and make it wearable.
HBA: What do your daughters think about you being on the show?
BT: My 2-year-old is still trying to understand the concept of it, but my other daughter Sadie was on the show, and since shooting she tells everyone, “I’m on Netflix now!”
HBA: On the show, you spoke about wanting to have better balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship… Do you feel like you’ve been able to achieve that balance since the season aired?
BT: I’m on a movie right now, so when the show dropped, I wasn’t with my girls. It’s still a balance… They’re in LA, and I’m in Atlanta, I don’t get to be with them, and they’re with my friends [instead]. [My friends] sent pictures of the girls watching it, and they have been so proud [of me being on the show], and that’s what I want to show them. Of course, they want mom there, they don’t care if mom was just a stay-at-home mom all the time. They just want mom all the time. As [my daughters] get older, I want to pull them more into my traveling with me, being with me, and giving them a bigger life experience. I’ve spoken to a lot of people in the film industry who are always traveling for work, and they tell me, “If I could turn back time, I would have my kids more with me because in the end it’s all about the memories.” I want to provide for them, but I want to show them that you can dream and live a life that’s different. I’m still trying to balance it, but it’s the route I chose. My career is not just about the money, it’s also about my passion, what I was born to do. I’m thankful for [my daughters] and we talk all the time though Facetime, and I try to schedule to come back [to them].
HBA: We hear you’re currently on set designing costumes for Dear Santa with Jack Black… Tell us more!
BT: Jack Black is amazing, and it’s a beautiful story. It’s a Christmas movie, but there’s a whole twist – it’s a modern-day fantasy. Design wise, we have elements of the underworld, as well as the upper world. This means that Jack has fifteen different looks. And we shoot over the course of seven days, and all the principal cast members have so many looks that are all creatively different. We also have a major musical artist joining us who is yet to be revealed to the public…
It’s really exciting and really fun! I did another movie before Next in Fashion with Zac Efron, Russell Crowe and Bill Murray, so I love doing this.
HBA: When will we be able to go see your designs on screen?
BT: This November! It will be coming out for the holiday season and I really feel like it has all the ingredients to become a Christmas cult classic that people will watch every year. It’s directed by Bobby Farrelly, and it’s really hilarious. Literally, Jack is shooting on set and take after take we’re all dying [of laughter].
HBA: Since Next in Fashion airing, have you seen more people interested in buying your pieces?
BT: It was an immediate response. As soon as the show dropped, sales were fantastic, and it was so beautiful to see people’s responses and get their messages on how they felt about the show. I’m so thankful for that. It’s just reaching an international platform of people, and that’s one of my favourite things, all the support and love.
HBA: The world is excited for what’s next in your career. What are your upcoming plans?
BT: I want to keep on testing myself, pushing myself and having a blast, being inspired and doing new projects. We’ll see what transpires after all of these things and where it goes. I’m also really excited about being able to take some time off after this movie [with Jack Black] to go and travel to Japan with my daughters. For my fashion brand, I’m excited about launching the next collection. I have a shoe collaboration dropping in May with United Nude, who I am a huge fan of, and after that I’ll be dropping the autumn/winter collection.
Speaking with Bao has given us a much-needed uplifting lesson on being “fierce, fashion-forward, and sexy as all hell.” Her strength is inspiring, and her determination to always play outside-the-box shows that women everywhere never need to confine themselves to a single moniker, because just like Bao Tranchi, you really can have a go at it all.
Lead Image Courtesy of Instagram/@nextinfashion
