EMERGING DESIGNER

Minna Kao

IN THIS FEATURE: Meet Minna Kao Fashion Focus

inna Kao approaches her design sense as modern elegance with an edge. Dressing women with worldly confidence and effortless grace and style is the aesthetic of her collection.

A native Texan, Minna Kao was born and raised in Houston. Minna cannot remember exactly how old she was when she first became interested in fashion. Interestingly enough, she does remember what she was wearing, “I was in elementary school. I can't remember what age, but I do remember picturing a white poly charmeuse wrap dress with green leaves. It was the 80's! Very strange I remember that, but not my age.” Her first designs were for her Barbie Dolls, and from there she moved on during elementary school to designing a version of the slinky bracelets. All the kids loved it, so she actually sold some of these at school. Although she doesn't take credit for it, Minna may also be responsible for the slouchy sock look. Since she thought knee-high socks were boring, she started to scrunch them. Next thing she knew, people everywhere were scrunching their socks. Minna confesses, "That was pretty amusing, although I don't think I started that trend."

Minna shares her fashion evolution. "My style evolved during my time in high school. I went from wearing a lot of black and crazy hair during my freshman year to no hair products and jeans. I enrolled in a modeling school during my sophomore/junior year so that I could learn more about the modeling world, and how to apply my own makeup. At this point, I was more influenced by my classmates and the students at the modeling school. I was also a huge collector of Vogue Magazine and Seventeen Magazine."

Minna graduated from UT Austin with a BS in Textiles and Apparel. She evolved quickly by honing her skills at Fashion Institute of Technology and graduating from Parsons School of Design. She also apprenticed and freelanced under prestigious brands in Tokyo and under designers in Paris, such as Alan Faye and Diane Pernet. Minna didn’t stop there. To add to her portfolio, she worked in bridal and evening-wear houses in New York. One house she gives most appreciation to is Amsale, which helped her gain the extensive knowledge she needed to launch her eponymous company in 2006. Her life skills, coupled with her work experience, are evident in her label, which is a full expression of her past and present influences.