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Story: Chau Giang
Photo: Kieng Can team
Fashion has always been a current made up of flows of inspiration from different cultures. This Fall/Winter season, the duo of VUNGOC&SON and designer Do Manh Cuong brought to the stage two impressive shows with contrasting tones, but together they formed a wonderful cultural exchange between East and West in the Vietnamese fashion scene.
After successfully participating in the J Winter Fashion Show in New York with “Childhood Memory,” a show which featured extensive use of Vietnamese handicraft techniques on wool, VUNGOC&SON has continued celebrating Vietnamese cultural values with their latest collection. With “A Better Day,” designers Vu Ngoc Tu and Dinh Truong Tung gave audiences a glimpse of the former imperial capital of Hue and its graceful noblewomen. Organized in Truong Lang, Hue Imperial City, where centuries-old gilded pillars stand, the show was a journey through time.
Against an ancient setting and the melodies of Vietnam Royal Court Music, supermodel Vo Hoang Yen, Miss Tieu Vy, strode confidently in grand outfits. A total of 140 designs were embellished with Eastern details, such as the swallow, which represents good omens, and five-colored clouds, which symbolize luck. The beauty of these details lies not only in their aesthetic sense but also in the messages of hope during the grim days of the pandemic that VUNGOC&SON have conveyed. Through modern designs such as bodycon dresses, pencil skirts, modernized áo dài and large bow dresses, the show brought a nostalgic vibe yet these designs remained à la mode and highly wearable.
In a very different vein, SIXDO’s first-ever show by designer Do Manh Cuong gave the audience an impressive and modern ensemble, strongly inspired by European culture. SIXDO, a dream that the designer has harbored for years, is a high-end fashion brand with a mid-level price tag, offering the public style and affordability. Inspired by the designer’s adoption of six children, the birth of SIXDO not only represents his hope of bringing beauty to wearers but also delivers a humane message, as its revenue will be used to build orphanages for less fortunate children.
SIXDO’s show was organized in an impressive setting, simulating the windows of a bustling shopping mall in a modern city with sparkling lights from high-rise buildings. Alongside well-known figures such as Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, Le Thuy, and Vinh Thuy, the show featured child models, middle-aged women, and members of the LGBT community to reflect SIXDO’s multi-dimensional view of beauty. Most notably, the show had a surprising opening with a confident and charismatic dance performance and catwalk by Do Manh Cuong’s adopted son.
The wide range of designs, from ladies’ gowns to men’s suits and children’s clothes, bore a strong European influence of elegance and freedom. The colors and details used in Do Manh Cuong’s collection were expressed with simplicity and sophistication, with a priority placed on the functionality of the designs. Items were made of durable and eco-friendly materials such as cotton, silk and knitted fabric. The birth of SIXDO may become a milestone in the history of fashion, as some expect it to become the Zara of Vietnam.
Despite their different tones and influences, both “A Better Day” and “SIXDO” carried positive and humane messages about life. The harmonious combination between traditional grace of the East and the charming elegance of the West not only brought diversity to the fashion scene but also proved the creativity and skill of Vietnam’s most prominent designers.
