HCM CITY — Eight foreign fashion designers will join 12 Vietnamese colleagues during the fourth Việt Nam International Fashion Week 2017 (VNIFW) to be held this month in HCM City.

The event will feature Xuan Haute Couture from France, Betty Trần from Australia, João Rolo from Portugal, Tata Christiane from Germany, Israeli Fashion from Israel, Boy of Bangkok from Thailand, and THIRD and Lee-Chung-chung from South Korea.

The fashion week will include a total of 20 shows displaying the creative collections of foreign and Vietnamese designers, including young talents Đỗ Long, Chung Thanh Phong and Hoàng Minh Hà.

Fashion brandnames 21 Six and Xita from designer Sandy Doan of HCM City will also be featured.      

Designer Hà, who is taking part for the first time, said: “The VNIFW has changed the face of fashion in Việt Nam. It brings fashion houses and designers and customers together.

“For young designers, the event opens a door to the world,” she said.

Organised by Multimedia JSC, a leading agency in modeling and producing TV reality shows, the previous VNIFW helped move the local industry to a professional level.     

The three-day VNIFW 2017 will open on April 25 at Gem Centre, 8 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Street, District 1.

Young talents     

More than 150 items from the latest collections by Phong, Hà and Hà Linh Thư will be presented by 100 fashion models at 20 shows during the VNIFW 2017.

Phong’s designs are luxury and ready-to-wear for men in high-quality Vietnamese materials. His collection includes accessories made by local craftspeople.

“I hope the event this year will offer opportunities for young designers to promote their brand names and sales,” said Phong, who owns two brands after seven years in the industry.   

After graduating from the Hồng Bàng University’s in graphic design and advertising, Phong turned to the entertainment industry as a solo singer. He was in the Top 10 of Việt Nam Idol 2007, a Vietnamese version of the singing contest American Idol, produced by Việt Nam Television.

Three years later, he decided to reenter the fashion industry.

Phong thinks local designers would be more successful if they gave ordinary people more choices.

"If designers can’t create fashions for daily use, our industry will remain amateurish," the 29-year-old said.  

In 2015, he received the title Best New Designer of the Year from F Fashion magazine, one of the country’s leading publications on fashion and design.

He owns RIN and Chung Thanh Phong Bridal, brandnames offering clothes for men and women in quality Vietnamese materials, sold at his shops in HCM City and Đà Nẵng.  

His wedding designs, using materials like velvet, taffeta and satin in red and lotus pink, are bestsellers.

Young talent Hà, winner of Project Runway Việt Nam 2013 fame, a Vietnamese version of the American TV reality series Project Runway, will introduce his latest Spring-Summer collection for women, Dream Girl, at Fashion Week.

His 30 designs, using vivid colours, feature the trend of crop-top and oversize styles.   

Hà uses silk and cotton to highlight the modern beauty of women, both young and old, who look charming in swathes of blue and white.

"I wanted my designs to provide customers something new and useful instead of showing dazzling things on stage that are too unrealistic for daily life," said Hà.

His female colleague, Thư, will introduce her collection of 20 clothes made with denim for women and men aged under 40. The designer used denim and khaki for simple and high-end styles.

Thư said her collection would send messages on social issues such as gender equality and child abuse.   

“Fashion Week is just not a catwalk or clothes, but also a place for both fashion designers and customers to show off their ideas in a unique way,” said Thư. — VNS