Vietnamese AMerican
costume designer, creative, STORYTELLER
based in Boston.
Eric Tâm Tran is a Vietnamese American designer, who specializes in storytelling through clothes.
He graduated from Boston University May 2025 with a BFA in Costume Design and a minor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts, he always had an eye for design but was also interested in studying life sciences. Upon entering his undergraduate studies, he studied biology; however, ultimately pivoted to costume design and followed his natural love for design. Within three years, he was able to develop skills such as, sewing, pattern making, costume construction, costume illustration, costume designing, marketing, branding, production management, directing, playwriting, millinery and fabric dyeing. He continues to apply his critical thinking skills from studying life sciences into his designs, making his approach to design unconventional, intentional and innovative.
As a designer, Eric is passionate about exploring viable ways to utilize sustainable textiles in his work in order to reduce irreversible impacts on the environment. He has approached all his design with sustainability at the forefront by predominantly sourcing thrifted, second-hand textiles for all of his design work.
As a creative, he strives to intentionally tell stories, invite conversations about identity and gain perspective on how clothes speak on our experiences and how we could use clothes as a vessel for our voices. He believes that performance art has the potential to change how we move through our everyday lives, but it requires risk taking. “We must allow raw emotions to fill spaces and focus on real human experiences and stories.”
