Alumni News
Boston is not usually known as a fashion capital—more Brooks Brothers and Bean boots, rather than Balenciaga and Balmain. But for designer Tai Le, BSBA ’14, the city, and Suffolk University, proved an unexpected source of inspiration.
“I chose Suffolk because of the urban, real-world campus,” says Le, a Hanoi native who studied international business, marketing and entrepreneurship. “It made me think professionally, dress professionally, be prepared.”
At the Sawyer Business School, the international atmosphere also fueled his fashion dreams: Today, TAILE designs appear worldwide, with showrooms in Asia, Europe, and New York City. Stateside, Le debuted creations at New York Fashion Week in 2019, a career pinnacle for designers and a dream that took root at Suffolk. Le’s eponymous fashion label—called modern, trendy, and dynamic by fashion bible Harper’s Bazaar—fittingly draws inspiration from futuristic architecture and urban style.
While a student, Le interned at Giorgio Armani on Newbury Street, networking with VIP clients and honing his aesthetic sensibilities. On campus, Le was inspired by Professor Amy Meyers, an adjunct faculty member who taught marketing and entrepreneurship for more than 25 years.
Le appreciated her sharp sartorial sense, but also her compassion for a foreign student far from home.
“She took me to her family Easter at King’s Chapel across from Suffolk’s library. She was not only a professor, but also a friend who taught me life skills and shared great American experiences,” Le recalls.
In 2022, Le was named one of Suffolk’s 10 Under 10 alumni honorees. Today, he remains a dedicated mentor to Suffolk students, even across the world. Last March, as part of an academic travel seminar, students from the Sawyer Business School visited his Ho Chi Minh City showroom with Professor Yurong Yao to discuss entrepreneurship, internship opportunities, and the fashion business—and to enjoy a private trunk show.
“It was an honor,” Le says, largely because it brought back memories of his own college experience, when he served as a Suffolk ambassador at VietAbroader, a US college fair in Vietnam. Le urged prospective college students to study at Suffolk, where, he says, academics and creativity flourish side by side. Today, he’s (stylish) proof.
“Suffolk has excellent diversity. We have international students from around the world, and American students at Suffolk are very welcoming,” Le says. “Suffolk was not only a university. It was a very open-minded community.” —Kara Baskin
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fall 2025
Photograph courtesy of Tai Le
