For gay moms and dads looking to share affirming books that reflect their own family’s culture and love, fashion designer Thái Nguyễn’s children’s book Mai’s Áo Dài is a must.

The gay Vietnamese-American made a name for himself as a fixture on the red carpet, accompanying his clients while making his own fashion statements. He’s also the host of Say I Do, a Netflix reality show where couples marry in fashionable (and quickly arranged) weddings.

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“In a million years, I never thought I would become an author, but opportunity comes,” he told Good Morning America. “It’s definitely a magical experience.”

Mai’s Áo Dài celebrates the title character’s preparation for the Lunar New Year, and the fashions that come with it.

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“‘Áo’ means shirt, and ‘dài’ means long, so it’s a long shirt,” Nguyễn’ explained. “It’s similar to a tunic, and you wear it with pants. Anyone who is Vietnamese has worn one at some point in their life.”

The idea for Mai’s Áo Dài came after Nguyễn dressed Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran, the first woman of color to take a lead in the franchise, playing Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2017.

She asked for Nguyễn’s help celebrating her cultural heritage in a very public way, so Nguyễn designed an áo dài. Its impact was inspiring.

“We made that ensemble in 16 hours, and then it became this iconic moment for the whole community” and the inspiration for Mai’s Áo Dài, he told Pride.

The story opens on the morning of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, and Mai can’t wait to celebrate at her beloved grandmother’s home. While she has a sparkly Cinderella dress in mind, her gay dad suggests she wear an áo dài.

She’s clearly disappointed.

But her Ba tells her the story of her grandmother, or Ba Noi, who sewed a beautiful, highly sought-after áo dài in Vietnam before bringing her talents, or “magic”, with her when she immigrated to the United States. Then her eyesight began to fade.

But how can Ba Noi know what Mai’s wearing if she can’t see so well? Mai asks her dad.

“We wear our áo dài because we love her, Mai,” he tells his young daughter. “That’s the greatest thing about love. You don’t have to see love to know it’s there.”

While Vietnamese culture is front and center in the book, its LGBTQ+ theme is more subtle. Readers see Mai and her dads together only when they arrive at the Tet celebration. But for gay parents, the appearance has a profound impact.

Gay Vietnamese parents in particular have told Nguyễn, “‘I wish I had this book growing up because for a very long time we had to hide ourselves.’ There was no exposure whether on media or in literature, so this was not just only for the kids, but also for the adults,” he explained. “They appreciate that there is a book like that out there for the kids to see themselves.”

“It’s really about exposure,” Nguyễn said. “It’s not just about race, but it’s all about identity in general, and queerness as well. We need that exposure.”

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