Working -- Jason Nguyen

-- Story by Deepa Bharath, photo by [tk]

HE IS

Working through layers of color and fabric to create flags

Crafting originals

Jason Nguyen could have chosen to paint or design clothes. But he

chose flags.

“It’s hard to explain why,” said the 32-year-old, who has worked at

Nikki’s Flags in Newport Beach for the last 12 years.

“But this is just so creative and interesting.”

Nguyen serves a wide and varied client base ranging from local

corporations and mom-and-pop stores to individuals. He has crafted many

an intricate coat-of-arms and customized, original flags for people’s

homes and even boats.

Long hours of work

His job basically involves hours of work with fabric, needle, thread

and a sewing machine. The flags can take upward of a day to three days to

complete right from drawing and taking measurements to the stitching and

sewing.

“The most complicated flag I worked on was the one I did recently for

the Los Angeles Police Department,” Nguyen said. “They wanted it on silk,

which made it complicated because most of our work is on nylon.”

It took him three days, but Nguyen said he was happy with his work.

“It looked so good, it looked better on the fabric than on paper,” he

said. “I felt proud about that.”

Final compliments

While the biggest challenge is the intricate nature of the work and

the time it takes to accomplish it, the greatest satisfaction comes from

getting compliments from clients, Nguyen said.

“I feel really happy when people like my work,” he said. “They call me

about it all the time and even refer me and the store to other people

they know.”

Nguyen, who came to the United States from Vietnam when he was 13, has

been sewing since he was in high school, he said. So has his sister and

brother. They made their own clothes -- shirts, jackets and trousers.

Nguyen studied art at Orange Coast College and then joined Nikki’s as

a part-time employee for a year. Soon, he learned he loved the job and

became a full-time employee.

“I don’t know what else I want to do,” he said. “This is something I

really enjoy.”