Bach Mai in Houston CityBook by Sam Byrd

Meet designer Bach Mai, 33, a child of Vietnamese immigrants on Houston’s northwest side, who just might be fashion’s next big thing.

His brazenly feminine pieces with pops of pink and a bit of big-city edge, inspired in parts by fine art and a childhood love of Sex and the City, have gotten notice by no less an arbiter of such matters as Vogue, which has reported that “step by step, his plan is to build the next American couture house.” And his résumé — the world’s best fashion schools, affiliations with stars like John Galliano — is undeniably impressive.