HCM CITY — Local fashion professionals have turned their focus to design, entrepreneurship and manufacturing, understanding the importance of the outsourcing economy in the global fashion industry, a professor at RMIT University in Melbourne said at an industry event in HCM City.

Robyn Healy, head of the university’s School of Fashion and Textiles, spoke yesterday at the three-day Producing Fashion Made in Việt Nam event. More than 300 academics and industry professionals from around the world took part in the event July 5-7 to explore the future of fashion and textiles.

The event was part of the global Fashion Colloquia series organised at RMIT Việt Nam’s HCM City campus.

Vietnamese experts included Trần Nguyễn Thiên Hương, chair of Sun Flower Media, which owns Harper’s Bazaar Việt Nam magazine; fashion show director Trần Thiện Hà Mi, brand manager for Việt Nam’s ELLE Magazine; and fashion designer Sỹ Hoàng, who designed an áo dài (traditional Vietnamese costume for women) for First Lady Michelle Obama on the occasion of President Barack Obama’s May visit to Việt Nam.

Karen Lanyon, Australian Consul General in HCM City, said that Australia was proud to partner with RMIT to bring the international fashion initiative to Việt Nam, showcasing Australia’s strengths in fashion and design education.

Victoria Ho, head of the fashion department at RMIT Việt Nam, said the event attracted international experts such as professors Ian King and Jose Teunissen from the London College of Fashion.

“Holding the Fashion Colloquia in HCM City gave us the opportunity to analyse the current state of play, enhancing registrants’ understanding of the industry and future opportunities. This will enrich the Vietnamese fashion industry,” she said.

The Fashion Colloquia benefits both RMIT Việt Nam and RMIT Melbourne students, connecting them to prominent members of the flourishing fashion industry in Việt Nam and to internationally renowned fashion academics.

It also helps students understand their future roles in the local and global fashion industry.

Begun in 2011, the Fashion Colloquia series originated with a core network of four institutions connected by their involvement in the big four Fashion Weeks across the globe: the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, London; Domus Academy, Milan; Institut Francais de la Mode, Paris; and Parsons The New School of Design, School of Fashion, New York. — VNS