Jen Kao

Embracing a cerebral approach to her design process, Jen Kao's collection is driven by the sartorial mementos in life. Drawing upon her inherent knowledge of the modern woman, Kao continues to reinterpret classics for the progressive and self-aware. Since the launch of her label in 2007, Kao has established herself as a designer that blends antonymous ideas to alter perceptions of the expected. She uses minimalist and maximalist concepts; detailed geometric prints are cut in clean silhouettes, while tech fabrics are redefined through both precise tailoring and fluid draping. Through fabric manipulation and experimentation, her collection continually inspires others to abandon their visual preconceptions. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Kansas, Kao moved to New York City in 1999 to study Studio Art at NYU where she focused on a diversity of mediums including ceramic sculpture, mixed-media, and writing. This foundation in three-dimensional design led to a growing passion for garment construction, which Kao later pursued through a post-graduate program at Parsons School of Design. Kao has been the recipient of various honors including the Vogue Talents Corner in 2011, and both the Harvard Leadership in the Arts Award and the Stacy Nipps Alumni Award from Parsons in 2012. In 2011, the designer was inducted into the CFDA.