Story NAM THI
Photo INTERVIEWEES

We all have a connection to a city or a special place. For artists, these lands can be a source of inspiration as well as a vantage point for seeking new creative horizons.

Rapper Suboi

Hello, Suboi. Looking back over the past year, what were you determined to do and what did you accomplish makes you most proud?

Each year, I focus on different things. If you know me, you probably understand my somewhat slow pace of operation. So, saying I’m determined within a year is half right, half wrong.

I’m not sure if building physical and mental health counts as determination, but going to bed early definitely does!

Your rap lyrics are very direct, but at the same time I find them highly abstract and metaphorical. Do you want your audience to receive your messages in a multi-dimensional way, or is there another artistic intent?

If you mean to suggest that I’m opening different perspectives, then I believe that’s accurate. I always believe that everyone views any object or event differently, depending on their geographical position, personal growth journey, environment or specific circumstances.

So, when I write music, I don’t like using binary notions, like this is right, that is wrong. Instead, I want the audience to receive the message through their own worldview. Actually, I learn a lot when someone listens to my music and questions or shares their perspective – I’m genuinely interested in hearing people’s feelings.

Each artist has their own essence: a genre of music, themes or a favored vocabulary. So, how can a rapper cultivate freshness?

To answer this question, I can’t think of anything else but time. Sometimes I feel that time is the real luxury in urban life. Even for those who achieve what they want and have time, they naturally feel bored. Honestly, what I care about now is that even without these achievements, I still see my value. Famous people with this mindset may seem quite mundane, because there’s nothing to discuss! Coming back to the question, I realized that I don’t even think about the “world of rap,” I’m too busy being a human being.

Heritage Fashion’s edition this month has an urban theme. I’d love to hear you thoughts about Saigon, because I know you love this city immensely.

I think anyone has a love for where they were born, because it holds memories and emotions. Even when you have a “love/hate relationship” with your city/hometown, that’s still an emotion. Before leaving Saigon, I loved it in a certain way and after going around the world, I love it in a different way. People come and go. Saigon or any city is like that, perhaps people come to it because it promises countless novelties, then when they are too tired, they criticize and trample it. But it’s just a city. Perhaps I also miss the quiet and sweet Saigon, but then I also stand and note the changes of this land. Just like me through each year and each moment.

You’ve made an international mark – the world calls you the “Vietnamese Queen of Rap” – and at home, you’ve long been loved by the public. So, what’s the next horizon that you want to aim for?

Being a harmonious person, being a mother, a friend, an artist, generally living with all my heart, right?

Thank you for sharing your stories with Heritage Fashion!

Director Nguyen Quang Dung

Let me ask a question that is (perhaps) familiar: what is your concept of cinema?

For me, cinema is like other art forms. The artist has the need to tell stories, to express their perspectives and beliefs in order to find empathy. And those who have talent, and are suitable for a certain discipline will choose that discipline to voice their hearts. For me, filmmaking also has the attraction of giving me opportunities to travel to many places, have many experiences and try to put myself in the role of the characters, or the context of space and time of the story in each film.

With a succession of films, such as Da co hoai lang, Go-Go Sisters, Blood Moon Party and most recently Song of the South, the audience gets to see your adaptations of plays, films and literature. How does the cinematic language of the new work carry your imprint?

Previously, I almost always wrote my own scripts, but after many self-written films, I felt somewhat constrained and spent a lot of time on each project. So later, I accepted scripts from others or set topics for screenwriters to write according to a planned outline, then we’ll get started. That way I can do more and have different perspectives from different screenwriters. As the script goes through a more creative layer, I have a more objective view of the script.

The script is always a big issue in world cinema. Therefore, sources from literature, from something that has been verified by the public, are always an advantage. Each adaptation goes through the filter of the screenwriter, director and actors. Literature on paper has the advantage that each person will imagine in their heads, but when it becomes a film, it becomes specific and clear, and that’s the challenge. Because then, filmmakers have to turn imagination into specifics and find the empathy of the audience.

The setting and space in a work is especially important in cinema. Which aspect of space do you often obsess over?

I like to talk about human identity. The setting helps the audience perceive the identity or dream of the character. The setting also depends on the content of the film. But because of my curiosity, I like to explore, so in each movie, I always create spaces for myself to have that experience.

Among plot, content and style, which aspect of filmmaking do you lean towards the most?

I value perspective and emotion. Emotions bring empathy, while perspective is the unique feature of the creator. For me, these two are the essence of the artist. As for the content, form, and style, they are professional, each director will have their own strengths and they focus on that. Whatever they are not strong in, there will be specialized departments to help. Because film is a collective art form, after all.

As a child of the South, how do you convey your pride in the South in particular and Vietnam in general in your cinematic works?

With the film Song of the South, above all, it’s about humanity, love for family, love for one’s homeland. These things exist everywhere, and I don’t make films with the mindset of depicting the Southwest region deeply. I want to make a film that is close to everyone, and through it, I hope people see how lovable the people of the Southern region are.

Thank you for the interview!

Fashion Designer Tran Hung

Can you talk more about your 11th collection, marking the milestone of four years accompanying the British Fashion Council?

Hello Heritage Fashion. This special collection was launched by the British Fashion Council at the Gangnam Fashion Festa 2023 event in Seoul (South Korea), embodying the spirit of cultural and fashion exchange between Korea and Vietnam. So I incorporated details from Vietnam such as the conical hat, a collar stylized with the letters “VN,” and fabrics sourced from traditional craftspeople like satin silk, taffeta and organza, along with hand-embroidered details from Vietnam’s traditional embroidery villages. Regarding the message, most of the designs are associated with the phrase “actions speak louder than words.” This has been the operating principle for me and co-founder Huong Ly over time. As long as you can speak through actions, your words will have value and inspire everyone.

Throughout four years of reaching out internationally, along with collections at London Fashion Week, this is quite an achievement. What do you think the most important factor has been for you to affirm your talent in such a sustainable way?

To develop and firmly position myself in one of the four biggest fashion weeks in the world, my brand needs to be a part of the fashion industry in the UK market, contributing to the development of London Fashion Week in particular and British fashion in general. I always have the mindset that I must be an important part in the overall picture to be able to develop sustainably.

What is your biggest inspiration in your creative process?

My inspiration comes from my own experiences, which can be from my travels or simply from the everyday things I absorb. The most important thing is that I never stop learning new things to accumulate knowledge and renew myself for new creations. Just like when I made a dress from optical fibers, or a dress made from Scoby (skin from fermented fungus), or a design made from seaweed bioplastic, those are all learning experiences, with lessons drawn from failures. Usually, people will use available materials from a supplier, but I really like to make special new materials by myself, new technologies that no suppliers in Vietnam can do, which can also be a part of my unique imprint.

Which city has the greatest influence on you? Is there a reflection of this place in your designs?

Hanoi is where I studied and accumulated experience. Ho Chi Minh City is where I chose to develop my personal brand, while London is the first place where the TRVN HUNG brand stepped out into the world. All three cities are important and influence me, but if we talk about the images of these cities in my designs, perhaps not yet, but this is a good suggestion and maybe at the London Autumn/Winter Fashion Week 2024 in the upcoming February, I will have such designs.

After London, what is the next horizon that you want to conquer?

As a member of London Fashion Week (LFW), whenever I launch a collection anywhere, it is always within the framework of LFW; this is something that the British Fashion Council (BFC) shared with me, and it is something special that I always appreciate about LFW and BFC. Therefore, I often launch new collections not only in London but also in Vietnam, or recently in Korea, but all are still within the framework of LFW.

In addition to the UK or Korean market, my brand also receives a lot of attention and is well known in China, the United States, India, the Philippines and UAE, so my direction is not only to develop the TRVN HUNG brand alone but also to help Vietnamese fashion brands access the international market. I want Vietnam to become stronger on the world fashion map. In 2024, I plan to bring other Vietnamese fashion brands to London Fashion Week. Heritage Fashion, please follow and support the upcoming Vietnamese brands accessing the international market.

Thank you for your stories!