Uyen Tran is the founder and creative force behind TômTex, a materials innovation company producing high-quality, 100% biodegradable fabrics. She is awarded the 2026 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion & Design for her determination and leadership to develop environmentally friendly products that support the health of people and the planet without sacrificing quality. 

“Winning this award is deeply meaningful because it celebrates both my journey as an immigrant and the vision I’m working toward,” Tran says. “It recognizes not only the science and design behind my work, but also the resilience, risks, and persistence it has taken to get here. It is a reminder that my dream of transforming waste into beauty has a place in shaping a more sustainable future.”

Growing up in the coastal city of Da Nang, Vietnam, Tran recalls that her mother never bought anything new, taking Tran to thrift stores only after clothing had been repaired numerous times. This resourceful practice stayed with Tran long after she moved away from home. 

“Watching her hands stitch life back into old garments made me realize fashion wasn’t just about appearance; it was about care, creativity, and survival,” Tran says. “Later, when I studied design, I understood that what I really wanted was to reimagine materials themselves.”

Tran eventually moved to the United States to study fashion apparel design, completing a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Art University. In 2019, Tran enrolled in Parsons School of Design’s MFA in Textile Engineering program.

Before founding TômTex in 2020, Tran worked at several renowned fashion houses including Ralph Lauren (2016) and Alexander Wang (2017–19). She witnessed firsthand the scale of waste created by the fashion industry. Tran’s work with fashion designer Peter Do in 2019 solidified her desire to create new eco-friendly fabrics.

Her pioneering work has already received widespread acclaim. Tran was awarded the CFDA Design Scholar K11 Innovation Award, recognized by Vogue in 2024 as one of the 100 Sustainable Leaders, and named among Inc.’s 100 Women in Leadership. She has continued to work with designers who prioritize sustainability in their practices. Today, Tran is working to scale TômTex’s production by building partnerships across fashion, furniture, automotive, and hospitality industries. She hopes to make TômTex fabrics accessible worldwide by 2026.

Awards and Accomplishments

CFDA Design Scholar K11 Innovation Award (2025)
Vogue’s 100 Sustainable Leaders (2024) 
Inc.’s 100 Women in Leadership (2024) 
Time’s Best Invention (2024)