About Mai&Co
Mai&Co is a Hmong-American apparel brand started by Mai Xiong, a Detroit native, in 2015. The brand grew out of a wish to wear something connecting modern American everyday clothing to the textile traditions Mai grew up around: the elaborate paj ntaub embroidery, the geometric patterns, the bright contrasting colourways used in Hmong New Year clothing.
How it started
The first piece was a pair of leggings. Mai had been looking for a way to wear traditional print patterns in a context that didn't require a special occasion. Something you could pull on for a run to the grocery store, for picking up the kids, for the school run. The leggings worked. People asked where she got them. The questions turned into orders, and the orders turned into a business.
The line expanded outwards from there. Dresses, skirts, tops, each drawing on a different aspect of Hmong textile work, scaled to modern silhouettes. Kids' sizes came next because every mother who bought leggings asked if there were kids' versions.
How we make
Everything is made on demand. When you order a piece, we cut and sew it after the order comes in. Usually within five to seven business days. The benefits are real: no stock that doesn't sell, no landfill from unsold inventory, and we can run small batches in a wider range of colourways than a stock model would allow.
The trade-off is that orders take longer than fast fashion. If you need something by Friday, we're not the right shop. If you can wait a couple of weeks for something made specifically for you, we are.
Where we are
Design and order coordination happens in Detroit. The Warren, Michigan showroom is open by appointment. Customers (and other Hmong-American families) can come in to see and try on pieces in person. We also list selected pieces on Etsy where the platform fits.
Manufacturing partners
We design in the USA. Some pieces are sewn locally; others are produced through partner workshops we've vetted over time, primarily in Vietnam and Cambodia. Both partner countries have meaningful Hmong populations, and the manufacturing partners we work with employ Hmong workers as well as workers from the broader local community. That connection matters to us. We wanted the relationship between the brand and the tradition to extend to the people doing the work, not just the prints on the cloth.
What we stand for
Three things, in order of importance:
- Wearability. Pieces have to actually work in your day. Comfort, durability, ease of care; these matter more than how a piece looks on a hanger.
- Respect for the tradition. We borrow patterns from Hmong textile work, and we want the borrowing to be informed and contributory. Mai is from the community; the partners we work with employ people from the community.
- Honest pricing. Made-on-demand isn't an excuse for high margins. We price for the cost of materials, the labour, and a reasonable margin. Not for what someone might be willing to pay for "ethnic-inspired" fashion.
Get in touch
Email [email protected] for sizing questions, custom orders, showroom visits, or wholesale enquiries. We respond within a working day.