Cuong Nguyen is a Vietnamese–born Australian, queer identifying fashion designer based in Melbourne who creates beautifully tailored garments that subvert traditional messages about masculinity and identity.
Cuong describes himself as both a designer and a maker, explaining that his practice is “deeply rooted in making”.
“I identify as a fashion designer, but my practice is deeply rooted in making — hands-on experimentation, pattern-cutting, hand-finishing, and material manipulation. The act of making and creating is central to how my ideas are articulated, developed, questioned, and resolved in my work,” he says.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
His brand, C. T. Nguyen Studios developed “organically, during and immediately after my final year at RMIT University in 2024, following the completion of my undergraduate studies. It currently exists as an evolving, independent practice rather than a fully commercial label.”
The brand was launched in 2025 at part of the National Graduate Showcase for Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival.
IMAGE: Danielle Castano
“I studied Fashion Design at RMIT University, working across both womenswear and menswear, with a particular focus on couture techniques, tailoring, and experimental textile surface manipulation,” says Cuong.
“My connection to fashion began early through watching and assisting my mother in her work as a seamstress. After initially pursuing a career in financial services, my passion for fashion was reignited during the pandemic, driven by a desire for more authentic self-expression.
“Fashion has since become a medium through which I explore identity, power, and the body — particularly my experiences of masculinity, queerness, and migration, which have long shaped my sense of self and otherness.
“Establishing my own practice has allowed me to approach fashion not simply as clothing, but as a language for storytelling, critique, and self-definition.
According to Cuong, he really began creating fashion during his university studies, but explains that his “relationship with clothing started much earlier through drawing, altering garments, and sewing at home”.
“Watching my mother drape and shape fabric into silhouettes that amazed her clients left a lasting impression on how I understand form and craft.”
This connection to his personal history is echoed in the name of his brand, Cuong says that it was an intentional choice to use his actual name.
“Growing up, my name was often mispronounced, which inadvertently made me feel othered and ashamed of my identity.
“Reclaiming my name is a form of catharsis—it reflects the deeply personal nature of the work and affirms that the brand is inseparable from my lived experience as a queer, Vietnamese–Australian designer. It allows my voice to be heard, and for the practice to remain fluid, honest, and continually evolving.”
FASHION CRUSHES
Like many designers, Cuong says that he is inspired by a wide range of cultural interests like cinema and historical and cultural dress forms.
“In terms of my ‘fashion crushes’, designers such as Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Daniel Roseberry, Robert Wun, and Thom Browne are key influences — particularly in the way they engage the body and use fashion as performative spectacle to challenge dominant norms.
“I am also inspired by queer aesthetics and by artists such as Leigh Bowery, David Bowie, Boy George, and Walter Van Beirendonck, whose work explores vulnerability and power through self-expression. Beyond fashion, my practice is deeply shaped by personal narratives and the stories that emerge from the community.”
All of these sources of inspiration can be seen in the central concept of the brand: “The brand explores identity, power, and body politics through a queer perspective or an omnipresent sense of otherness. It questions idealised gender norms, beauty standards, and traditional tailoring by exaggerating, softening, parodying, or reworking them. At its core, the brand is about reclaiming the body as a site of vulnerability, strength, and authentic self-definition.
Cuong describes his brand’s aesthetic as “sculptural, confrontational, and tactile — balancing tailoring with distortion, humour with critique, and strength with softness”.
“There is a tension between armour and exposure, structure and fragility, reflecting the complexities of queer masculinity.”
BESPOKE, SLOW, CONCEPTUAL, WEARABLE
C. T. Nguyen Studios produces garments in a bespoke or small-scale production manner featuring “slow making” and “material experimentation”.
“I prioritise longevity, handcraft, and reworking traditional techniques rather than trend-driven output. Ethically, the brand is grounded in body positivity, inclusivity, and respectful representation — particularly when engaging with themes of identity and lived experience,” Cuong explains.
It is very important, Cuong says, to recognise that his brand “prioritises inclusivity and integrity above all else”.
“[The] Queer lived experience is central rather than decorative, granting agency to the subjects within the stories I seek to tell,” he says, adding that he also uses “humour and parody” as tools for social critique.
Likewise, Cuong says “craft and concept are inseparable and developed in tandem”, while he also values “dialogue, reflection and community over mass production”.
“My long-term goal is to develop the brand into a recognised independent, largely bespoke practice that bridges conceptual design with wearable garments. I aim to collaborate with artists, craftspeople, and communities, and to present work internationally while preserving the intimacy and integrity of the practice.
Catch C. T. Nguyen Studios on the runway as part of the QUEER BY DESIGN show on Thursday 19 February 2026. Tickets available from https://www.trybooking.com/DGPPG
For more information about C. T. Nguyen Studios and Cuong, go to cuongtnguyen.com or follow him at @cuongnguyenmelbourne
