Hidden Houston Video
Working fashion girls: Chloe & Sydney Dao journey from Laos to Project Runway fame
Some people assume that Chloe Dao is an overnight success, but before fashion fame came blood, sweat and tears.
Prior to being named winner of Project Runway's second season, Chloe Dao had been working as a successful fashion designer in New York City.
In Houston, her boutique has become a shopping destination for visitors and couture junkies. Chloe Dao's designs have been featured in The Smithsonian Museum's Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon exhibit and on NBC's Today, Access Hollywood, American Morning, The View and the New York Times.
Originally from Laos, sisters Chloe and Sydney Dao work side-by-side at the boutique. Sydney Dao has played a big role in the expansion, which now includes a salon, a special collection for QVC and a line of slim laptop briefcases for Nuo.
In this Hidden Houston video, the sisters talk about their childhood, arriving in Houston in 1979, their fashion concepts and how their large family encouraged them to reach for the stars.
Click on the photo (above) or here to watch the video, produced by ZenFilm.
Editor's note: Hidden Houston, an interactive multimedia series, aims to reveal the many things that are unique about the Bayou City and its surrounding areas.

The new FIGS store will offer a Color Clinic and Customization Station to let shoppers personalize their FIGS uniforms. Photo courtesy of FIGS/Instagram