When you step into k-zao studio in Providence, Rhode Island, this is what you’re sure to find: 100% unique, fully customized clothing made to the individual’s specifications. Founded by Bao Vu in 2020, what began as a guest room operation turned into a full-fledged queer tailoring shop in 2022.
Vu’s interest in fashion can be dated back to their time growing up in Vietnam, and being heavily influenced by their mom and grandma’s bold fashion sense. “They would dress up in these very well-tailored suits…My grandma is a very sweet person. She’s very soft-spoken, but in (her) photo she looks very confident. She’s going out there in the world and getting shit done.”
Growing up in Vietnam, Vu and the other children wore uniforms to school. “The uniforms were usually already made…I have always been very skinny, I would not fit into anything and I felt terrible.” To the behest of the school, Vu’s mother tailored their uniform to a more comfortable fit. “And I got into so much trouble, but my mom (didn’t) care.”
Vu moved to the United States to attend Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) for photography and sculpture, where they began working with different fabrics and textures. “I started making more sculptural work, more, not wearable garments, but using textiles and fibers in different ways.”
After graduating in the midst of a global pandemic, Vu took some time to delve deeper into the world of sewing. “I knew a little bit about sewing before that. Having that time really helped me with pattern making, which is a totally different skill set…I spent a lot of time just reading, and reading, and making things, and seeing how different they fit onto my body.”
“I have a lot of doubt, and I am very lucky to have feedback from people telling me otherwise. I didn’t have a mentor that (told) me what’s good or what’s not…You can get as technical as you want through anything, but at the same time, the relationship you have with other people is important, as well.”
Nat Brennan, a friend of Vu’s, finds k-zao’s work to be an important pillar for the trans and queer communities. “I think that for trans people, finding formal clothes is a more complicated process or especially some of the spaces that you might go to look for clothes…aren’t a place where you feel like you can authentically express yourself and what you want. And I feel like Bao creates the most amazing, perfect space to find those clothes and to have those clothes made in a beautiful, beautiful way.” Brennan, a trans-masculine client of k-zao, is having a suit tailored for their wedding.
Brennan is going through double-mastectomy surgery before their wedding. After starting hormone therapy and experiencing the changes, Brennan is ready to take on formal wear in a way that they see fit. “Gender means, to me, something that’s very innate and an integral part of your identity. I don’t think it’s anything that can be put on you or conscripted to you.”
Brennan recalls playing organized soccer at a young age, and the restructuring from co-ed to gender-specific leagues being a real eye-opening moment for them. “I remember I quit soccer when they changed us from co-ed soccer to all-girls soccer. I was like, ‘this is horrible.’ And then refused to go anymore…the binary separation of everything that starts to happen when you’re six, seven, eight can be really, really difficult.”
Back at k-zao studio, Bao Vu acknowledges a lengthy, but necessary process for their clients. “We get to know every client before we measure anyone. It’s good to just talk to them, get to know them as people, who they are, why they’re here. Why they’re here is a very hard question for a lot of people to answer. You don’t know about this person at all the first time you meet them, and after four meetings, now you’re touching a lot of parts on their body and (making) sure that they are comfortable with the work that you’re making for them.”
Vu’s passion for high style and strong community help create a welcoming space where the clothing and the relationships they manifest are something to celebrate.
You can learn more about Bao Vu and k-zao studio in the “ART inc.” episode below:
