By Thúy Hằng

After graduating from Hà Nội Architectural University in 2013, Cường Đàm had no idea that his life would suddenly change direction. After spending five years working as an architect, the young man found out that his true calling was in fashion.

“I realised that fashion is what I was really fit for. It wasn't something impulsive. My passion for fashion has been nurtured since I was a kid. I was fascinated by fabrics and interested in doing anything to make women be more beautiful,” he said.

Cường decided to open a fashion shop selling his first creations.

Cường Đàm says he is 'a transporter of Vietnamese culture’.

However, it’s not easy for a newbie to enjoy fruitful results, and Cường tasted several bitter experiences due to his lack of professional knowledge in the industry.

“I didn't have any knowledge then. Everything I have done at that time was based on my instinct. Materials, forms and designs – everything is new for an architect. I did everything by myself, from going to market to purchase fabric to finding garment workshops to turn my ideas and sketches into reality. Without any guidance from experienced people, and all the products were very basic, even rudimentary,” Cường said.

During the first year, the young man struggled to figure out his target audience and what he needed to do to attract them. Nothing seemed to work. Revenue from selling clothing was just enough to pay for the rent of the shop.

It was then that Cường realised passion alone wasn’t going to cut it, and that he needed professional knowledge. He decided to enrol in the London College for Design & Fashion (LCDF) in Hà Nội to accumulate the necessary knowledge to become a designer.

Talking about the connection between architecture and fashion, Cường said: “Although fashion and architecture seem unrelated, in fact, the art forms have similar principles in ratio, the connection of details creating a unified overall, structure, building and materials.

For Cường Đàm, knowledge of architecture gives a solid foundation for him to enter the fashion industry.

 “All above all, both fashion and architecture have the mission of understanding the needs of people, thus creating works to satisfy those needs. Knowledge of architecture laid a solid foundation for me when I stepped into the fashion industry,” he said.

His collection Warriors in Yoshiwara presented at the 2020 Graduate Fashion Week was highly applauded by audiences and critics. The collection, which was created during nine months and honoured women's rights was named among the best 15 at the Vietnam NewGen Fashion Awards,  organised by Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam and the LCDF.

Endless inspiration from traditional culture

The designer, who is co-founder of Chats by C. Dam – a luxury clothing brand, has found an endless inspirational source for his designs in the traditional women’s long dress known as the áo dài.

His bag collection Đàm (The Conversation) was inspired by Vietnamese women's dress, the áo dài.

 “Traditional costumes are the unique beauty of the rich Vietnamese culture,” he said.

Inspired by the high-necked collar and the graceful flap of the dress, his newest collection of leather handbags entitled Đàm (The Conversation) has won high praise from fashion lovers.

Crafted from high-quality imported leather and traditional hand-stitching techniques, the bag straps simulate the high-necked collar of the dress. From different angles, the straps are reminiscent of graceful Vietnamese women wearing the dress. The triangle and rectangle geometrical shapes of the bags connecting with the straps are a modern minimalist style.

From different angles, the bag straps remind of graceful images of Vietnamese women.

Cường said that the bag collection honoured not only Vietnamese culture but also elegant Vietnamese women.

“Like a conversation between the past and present to find out the voice of the times, from the original details of the áo dài, we have brainstormed to transform them into something new without devaluing its primary beauty. This is also how we at C. Dam have chosen to present the unique values of Vietnamese culture to the international audience,” the 31-year-old designer said.

Earlier, before the debut of the bag collection Đàm, Cường presented a fashion collection entitled Hướng Tâm (Inflow). The collection was created with inspiration from an architectural detail seen at many heritage sites such as the Temple of Literature and One-Pillar Pagoda

Models present creation designs from the collection 'Inflow' by C. Dam. — Photo courtesy of C. Dam

 “‘Inflow' are the lines running towards a centre that have been widely used by Vietnamese people in architecture, fine arts and fashion. This detail can be seen in the simple objects in the life of Vietnamese people such as paper fans, bell-shaped fishing traps, or the palm-leaved conical hat. The idea of ‘inflow’ has been presented in the details of every design in this collection,” he said.

Featuring pleated dresses, crop tops and blazers made from luxury silk and taffeta, the collection has been greeted by fashionistas not lonely for its elegance but for earning money for a meaningful cause – part of the revenue is being donated to the national COVID-19 vaccine fund.

The ambitious designer has been nurturing a fashion show and exhibition entitled Inflowing, which is scheduled to take place in the second quarter of next year.  

 “The mission of C. Dam is to be the transporter of Vietnamese imprints, through its contemporary and distinctive creations that cannot be mixed with global fashion. That mission will be continued in our next projects. We will keep digging further into Vietnamese culture to find new inspiration and develop them into creative designs,” Cường said. — VNS