Nikki's dad was a Vice President of one of the Banks in Vietnam and owned a chain of gas stations. Her mom was a Biology Professor. They were incredibly successful and well off until the Fall of Saigon when the Viet Cong took everything away. In the early 80's, after the 7th attempt to escape Vietnam, Nikki's family succeeded and found themselves starting over in Cambodia with her Dad working as a fisherman and her mom selling pastries. A year later, they left again and arrived on the beaches in Thailand, sent to a detention camp. Her dad was separated from the rest of the family for 8 months until they relocated to one of the refugee camps. That was home for 3 years. Once sponsored over by a family member in Dallas, her parents worked as factory workers. Their dream was no longer about them but to see their children thrive in the US. This is an incredible story.

Nikki Duong Koenig is the Founder/President of Cykochik (ˈsīkō CHik) Custom Handbags, an internationally awarded, cruelty-free vegan handbag company, and also the Founder and Creative Director for her marketing agency NiKo Creative.    She left her corporate world to focus 100% of her time on these social enterprises and is an activist and philanthropist for animal and human rights, and the environment.

You can also meet her in person at this year's Fashion For A Passion. Tickets for this event go on sale Friday, Aug 3, 2018.