Phoua Vang on the Embodiment of Her Evolving Reality

“It was like going in with a blind eye, but I just knew that it was what I wanted to do. So, I just did it.”

– Phoua Vang

It’s mid-November, and Phoua Vang is snuggled up on her porch as her smiling face beams through the laptop screen over facetime. The 32-year-old, originally from La Crosse of Wisconsin, sat under gloomy daylight somewhere in Minnesota looking comfy in her heather grey sweater.  

While the sun was ready to set, Vang sparked up her memory of where everything started. 

“My parents always traveled to Thailand, and every time they came back, they would bring clothes and sell them at the Hmong New Year,” Vang says. “At a very young age, I was exposed to a lot of textiles and clothing, and that’s when my first interest peaked.” 

Vang recalls her mother sewing often during her childhood. She describes the sewing machine as old because it was built into a desk, very manufacture-like. Vang laughs as she recollects how much fun she had while playing around with the machine.  

Around her high school era, Vang remembers that was the time her fashion aspirations became more serious. 

“When YouTube came out and became more mainstream, I discovered this girl who sewed a lot. I started watching her videos and learned tips and tricks from her,” Vang says. “That’s when I was like…. I think I want to do this.” 

Vang moved back to the Midwest this past August of 2021 after spending almost seven years in New York City. She came back as an associate designer at Target for A New Day, as well as being newly engaged. Prior to landing her current career at Target, Vang graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout with a Bachelor of Science degree in Apparel Design and Development. Before she pursued apparel design, she took two years off after graduating from Logan High School. During those two years, she adamantly knew she would go into fashion. 

“Of course, expressing that to my parents….my dad was like, no,” Vang emphasized.  

Vang identifies as Hmong American and comes from a traditional Hmong home. Her parents – immigrants – originated from Thailand and Laos. Assimilating from one culture into another, in a totally different world, wasn’t easy for her family. It was difficult to gain understanding from her parents when she broke the news about her choice of studies. 

Vang recalls her father explicating how the field wouldn’t allow her to make money and wouldn’t give her success. 

“They just really don’t understand how much you can do in fashion. They think you just design and sew. I was like, maybe? But I still want to try it,” Vang says.  

Vang knew it would be hard to communicate her plans in fashion with her parents. There wasn’t anyone she could reference or look up to because she didn’t know anyone who had walked that path. Her parents, who experienced a rough start including language barriers, just wanted to see a secure and guaranteed career for her.  

“It was like going in with a blind eye, but I just knew that it was what I wanted to do. So, I just did it,” Vang says with a chuckle. 

When Vang started college, the jobs that were most usually exposed to her were stores like Target or Kohl’s through UW-Stout’s alumni. There wasn’t much thought beyond that for her because she didn’t know what to expect. At the time, New York felt like too much of a stretch to be a reality. 

“Being a designer in New York wasn’t a reality for me yet because that’s so big!” Vang exclaims. 

Things shifted when she met a professional senior merchandiser for Tommy Hilfiger through a friend.  

“We just got to talking and he told me, well if you’re ever in New York, I have an internship for you,” Vang explained. “That’s when I was like, oh, maybe I can do this. Maybe I can make it happen.” 

This connection gave Vang hope because the merchandiser was also Asian, who was very successful in the industry. 

“That’s when it became real for me,” Vang says.  

During her junior year in college, she began her internship with Tommy Hilfiger in the summer of 2013 which lasted three months. When the senior merchandiser moved over to Calvin Klein, so did she. Vang completed her Calvin Klein internship during her senior year.  

When asked if her professors were impressed with landing such well-known companies, she answered that the school discouraged the idea of the internships. At the time, apparel and merchandising were taught as two distinct categories. Vang was hoping to hear positive feedback but was not expecting disapproval.  

“For me, this was my chance to get my foot in the door,” Vang says. “Let’s just see where it goes from there.” 

During college job fairs, Vang was told by recruiters that having merchandise under her name while pursuing design was going to be an obstacle for her future in the industry. 

“There was some discouragement at school, but I was rebellious,” Vang says playfully.  

After Vang took on the challenge to complete both internships in New York, she made it through by sleeping on a couch in an apartment she had found the day before her first day.  

“In the summertime, I just flew out there, and literally I didn’t even have a place to stay. My internship started on a Monday, and I found an apartment at 6 o’clock on Sunday night,” Vang says in a jestful manner. “I was probably in an unsafe part of town.” 

Vang reminisced about her college projects, and she talked about two that left an impression on her.  

“I’m not a prints person whatsoever so it was very hard for me to do prints. I remember I presented my first round of prints. I got shut down,” Vang says. “I got shut down so hard! She was probably like, what the f*** is this?” 

She laughed as she continued to say that she was on the verge of tears while presenting. 

“She literally made me cry. I was so upset. She was like, this is terrible. No, no, no,” Vang says. 

Vang describes the situation as frustrating and difficult, but she felt grateful for the motivation her professor provided. 

“She also pushed me, which I’m glad,” Vang says. “The final round of prints that we did, she was just blown away. She loved it so much. That was my happiest moment, getting her approval.” 

Vang talks about her second project that helped her realize what kept her steady in the major. 

“I think just getting very positive reinforcement from the professors makes you feel good,” Vang expressed. 

After graduating from UW-Stout, Vang moved to New York and began her first job under a startup company for licensed Levi products. She worked in production which overlooked men’s underwear, socks, and loungewear. 

“It wasn’t my ideal job. I needed a job in New York, so I took it,” Vang says. 

Vang looks back at the decision now feeling grateful she took it. She explains that knowing the production process can help when creating designs. She also mentions the connections she built with vendors, designers, and sales, all come together with everything.  

“It was not as challenging as I wanted it to be because creatively, and I wanted to do something more,” Vang says. 

Vang talks about her boss who then became her mentor and guided her in many aspects. She explains how vocal and honest she was in wanting to design more. Vang always expressed her ambition to design, and thankfully, he allowed her to work with designers when time came.  

Vang mentioned how much she learned from him and how strongly their relationship grew in trust. They became close friends through the hardships that she followed her boss into her second job as a Designer at Versa Textiles Inc.  

After her first company got bought out, Vang and her boss began a menswear startup company together as a duo.  

“I had to juggle SO many tasks. I was the designer. I was the production person, I was development. I was everything,” Vang says. “I was literally his right hand for a long time, but I’m also very grateful for that experience.” 

Vang was able to travel to China and South Korea for the first time during the job.  

“It was the best experience. The worst and the best,” Vang added.  

Vang expressed how overworked both of them became as the jobs started to stack on top of one another. It was hard to hire another employee as their revenue did not allow room for that to happen. Once they were able to gain the chance to hire, Vang felt ready to move on. Till this day, Vang stays connected with her friend. 

Vang moved on to work in womenswear with J. Crew as a designer from 2019 to 2021 until she moved to Minnesota.  

After reflecting on her experience in New York, Vang thought about how different her aim in designing was from her college self to now. She chuckled as she talked about one thing that did stick, outerwear. Vang has many skills in different areas, so she does not have preferences.  

Since Vang lived in New York for several years, she reflected on her mindset shift from romanticizing the job and city to reality.  

“You know, you watch movies and shows about it, and it’s glamourous. But when you’re finally in the industry, it just becomes your everyday normal life,” Vang says. “The industry is tough. The parts in the television about how competitive and vicious it is, was true.” 

Vang looks back at her decision on migrating to New York and describes it as the best decision she has ever made. Vang continues to stay connected with the many, meaningful relationships she has made with today.  

Currently, Vang designs womenswear for A New Day under Target. They recently obtained outerwear which she previously mentioned is a favorite. Vang is in the process of managing outerwear, and it has been a lifelong achievement for her.  

Vang will also be a part of the Hmong Nouveau Fashion Show happening in November of 2022 as a designer. This event features a variety of designers from the Hmong community all over the states. The show will take place at The Amory in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.  

“My goal for the next five years is to keep moving up,” Vang says in solace. “You know anything can change. If I miss New York too much, I’m going to have to convince Soo-Young.”