Vietnamese designer Lê Thanh Hòa opens the AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025 with a collection named “The Light of Water". Photos courtesy of Multimedia JSC

HCM CITY – French fashion designer Julien Fournié’s haute couture collection dazzled HCM City fans at the opening night of the Aquafina Việt Nam International Fashion Week (AVIFW) Spring/Summer 2025 on Thursday.

Fournié, a member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion), presented 29 designs for both men and women from a memorable collection to celebrate his 50th birthday, named “First Circus”.

The collection is inspired by characters from movies, comics and music of the 1990s, such as superheroes, princesses and circus performers from his childhood, creating a mesmerising visual symphony where reality and fantasy intertwine like a dream.

The designer showed Vietnamese fashion lovers the sophistication and modern elegance of couture designs, highlighting their craftsmanship and artistry.

Fournié created his own fashion house, bearing his name, in Paris in 2009. Just four seasons later, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode admitted him as a guest member in the prestigious official French Haute Couture calendar.

In 2017, Fournié achieved the ultimate distinction when he was officially awarded the coveted Haute Couture classification.

Huỳnh Tú Anh, winner of The Face Vietnam 2023, performs a showstopper from the “First Circus” collection by French fashion designer Julien Fournié, a member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

Addressing the opening ceremony, VIFW President Lê Thị Quỳnh Trang said: “Ten years ago, when I first began this show, I didn’t know that it would be a destination. I just acknowledged that if I kept going the path would appear. Today, my vision is clear.

"Stepping into a new era of Vietnamese fashion, our goal is to build a fashion industry with a unique cultural identity, turning Việt Nam into a country with a developed fashion industry.”

Trang also expressed her gratitude to designer Fournié for attending AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025. “The designer’s presence here shows that Vietnamese fashion has made huge progress and gained recognition from the world.”

Trang first met Fournié ten years ago and invited him to present at VIFW 2015. She has participated in several shows by the designer at Haute Couture Week events in Paris and sent models to perform in his shows.

To mark the new era of Vietnamese fashion, Trang once again invited Fournié to Việt Nam to offer fans an opportunity for a magnificent and magical fashion experience.

Italian designer Alberto Zambelli presents a collection named “Silence”. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025, with the theme 'Pure Style Shines', introduces the latest collections by 16 international and domestic designers. Participants include Alberto Zambelli from Italy, Frederick Lee from Singapore, and Lê Thanh Hòa and Vũ Việt Hà from Việt Nam, as well as brands like Behati from Malaysia, Moral from Indonesia and Happy Clothing from Việt Nam.

Vietnamese designer Lê Thanh Hòa, who was chosen to open the fashion week, presented his collection called “The Light of Water”, highlighting designs inspired by the purity, flexibility and intrinsic strength of water.

Hòa, who is known for designing dresses for pageant contestants at Miss Việt Nam and Miss World Việt Nam, combines moving water droplets with pure light to create transformations and show the continuity of water flowing under the sunlight.

Alberto Zambelli from Italy also presented his collection, “Silence”, on opening night.

The collection represented East-West harmony with loose tunics, stylised jackets and coats, evening gowns and suits in neutral colours, and high-quality materials such as thick cotton, cool wool, soft cashmere and denim.

AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025 is ongoing at the Nguyễn Du Gymnasium in HCM City's District 1 and will run through June 8. — VNS

A look from the “First Circus” collection. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

A look from the “Silence” collection. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

VIFW President Lê Thị Quỳnh Trang (second from right) celebrates the 50th birthday of designer Julien Fournié at the opening night of the AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

Trang with VIFW partner, Ashish Joshi, CEO and General Director of Suntory PepsiCo (second from right) and designer Lê Thanh Hòa. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC