FAMILIAR FACE - Singaporean designer Frederick Lee impresses fashion fans with colourful designs from his latest collection named “Holi” at the AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

By Phương Mai

HCM CITY – Vietnam International Fashion Week (VIFW) is entering a new decade, targeting cultural integration and international cooperation, and building Việt Nam into a country with a developed fashion industry.

The event, which was initiated in 2014, quickly became one of the most outstanding fashion weeks in the region.

The programme has featured international and Vietnamese designers, including French haute couture designer Julien Fournié, Singaporean designer Frederick Lee, and Vietnamese designers Nguyễn Công Trí and Cao Minh Tiến.

Lê Thị Quỳnh Trang, VIFW founder and president, said that when she began VIFW, she did not know how long and how far she could go. She just kept moving forward.

Trang said, “Every time VIFW is launched, I always ask myself, ‘What’s next?’. But after 10 years with 19 shows, I have a clear vision. It is elevating Vietnamese fashion’s status to a new high, and turning Việt Nam into a country with a developed fashion industry."

She said, “To achieve that goal, the Aquafina International Fashion Week (AVIFW) Spring/Summer 2025 focuses on the theme of 'Pure Style Shines' to introduce international fashion fans to the essence of national identity and culture in fashion.”

The AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025, held in HCM City from June 5-8, highlighted collections deeply imbued with national identity and culture presented by Vietnamese designers.

LOCAL TALENT - Hà Nội-based designer Vũ Việt Hà (M) closes at the AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025 with (Running Horse). Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

Vũ Việt Hà, who was chosen as the designer closing the event, took fashion lovers on a tour of a local market of ethnic minority groups in a mountainous area in the Northwest region of Việt Nam.

Hà said, “People have rarely seen the costume of the Dao Đầu Bằng people (Dao ethnic group with top knots). It’s all black in different shades, but its form and details carry a sense of mystery and unique features of the Northwest region.”

Through the collection “Mã Đáo” (Running Horse), the designer recreated the Bắc Hà Sunday Market in Bắc Hà District in the northern province of Lào Cai.

Bắc Hà District is known for its scenic spots and an annual traditional horse race. It is home to 14 different ethnic minority groups, each with its distinctive customs and traditions.

“Mã Đáo” consists of 40 sophisticated dresses and casual clothes for both men and women made of brocade fabric crafted by ethnic minority groups to preserve Vietnamese cultural identity.

The “Mã Đáo” collection highlights áo dài embroidered with Vietnamese traditional patterns. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

The collection also highlights áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) embroidered with Vietnamese traditional patterns such as horse, peacocks, đào (cherry blossom), and chrysanthemum.

Hà, a native of Hà Nội, graduated from the Hà Nội University of Industrial Fine Arts and took part in classes by late Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto.

He is known for designs in natural Vietnamese materials that reflect national cultural heritage.

The designer has presented his áo dài collections in numerous fashion shows such as the Vietnam Collection Grand Prix, VIFW, and Huế Festival.

FRESH FASHION - Two looks from the “Thoải Mộng” collection created by designer Cao Minh Tiến. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

Hà Nội-based designer Cao Minh Tiến honoured quan họ (love duet) singing, a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, through the collection “Thoải Mộng”. 

The collection is inspired by costumes of liền anh (male singers in traditional attire of folded scarves and shirts) and liền chị (female singers in elegant dresses and round hats made from palm leaves with long silk straps).

It includes black, red and white halter tops and blouses and áo dài in lace, mesh and cotton. They are hand-embroidered with vivid blossom flower patterns and styled with mini and long skirts and long chiffon jackets.

Tiến, who has 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, is known for his obsession with Vietnamese traditional fabric.

He released many collections inspired by the beauty of the handloom fabric of ethnic minority groups in northern mountainous areas and Vietnamese culture, including Đạo Mẫu (Mother Goddess Worship).

Tiến said his collection aimed to “let us grow up with a love of traditional culture.”

International cooperation

MALAYSIAN LOOKS - Two looks from the “Puteh” collection by Malaysian designer Kel Wen, who debuts at VIFW. Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

Malaysian designer Kel Wen made his debut at the AVIFW Spring/Summer 2025 with a collection named “Puteh” for his brand Behati.

The “Puteh” collection is inspired by actor and musician P Ramlee (1929 – 1973) and female singer Saloma (1935 – 1983), who greatly contributed to promoting Malaysian music as well as shaping the country's fashion in the 1950s.

The collection features co-ed designs in neutral colours.

Designs for men highlight Baju Melayu (traditional Malay costume for men), including oversized shirts, wide-shoulder jackets and loose pants in cotton and songket, a traditional Malaysian handwoven fabric and UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage, paired with a kufi cap sewn with mesh.

Designs for women include sophisticated gowns in cotton, velvet and songket.

Wen, a graduate of Raffles Kuala Lumpur, created his label Behati in 2018, introducing Baju Melayu through a modern shape.

A look from the “Holi” collection by Singaporean designer Frederick Lee . Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC

Designer Frederick Lee, one of Singapore’s most sought-after designers, presented his latest collection named “Holi” inspired by the Holi Festival, known as The Festival of Colours, Love and Spring, in India.

The collection features dresses that combine traditional costumes with vivid colours such as fuchsia, vermilion and cobalt through modern tailoring and shaping techniques to honour diverse cultures and the contemporary spirit.

The designers skillfully created fabric layers, structured silhouettes and hand appliqué techniques to bring a party of colour and fashion to audiences.

Lee has been named “The Best of Singapore” for three years since 2006 by Singapore Tatler magazine.

He first participated in the AVIFW Spring/Summer 2019, and has become a familiar face of the event.

VIFW President Trang said the VIFW has received support over the years from diplomatic agencies from Italy, France, and other countries to bring more international designers to Việt Nam, reflecting that Vietnamese fashion has made significant progress and is recognised by the world. — VNS

ITALIAN STYLE - VIFW President Lê Thị Quỳnh Trang (second from left) with Italian designer Alberto Zambelli (left from right) and Italian Consul General Enrico Padula (R) and his wife (M). Photo courtesy of Multimedia JSC