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Story NAM THI, PHUONG UYEN
Photos INTERVIEWEES
The forms of art born on the streets carry freedom, explosiveness and vital energy. This month, Heritage Fashion sits down with prominent figures who are elevating Vietnamese street art to new heights.
Artist Viet Max
Hello, Viet Max. To start off, I want to look towards the future. After all that you’ve accomplished, what is the next milestone you want to conquer?
Thank you, Heritage Fashion, for inviting me to this conversation. The achievements I have attained are the results reflecting a process of persistent and diligent effort. When I began my career, my goal was always to conquer myself. This journey is about overcoming personal limits and challenges to achieve the goals and dreams I set out. By continuously conquering myself, I feel like I am living a meaningful and colorful life.
Your career spans dance, graffiti, and visual art. People see you touching many fields, but I think they’re just different forms of the core “street culture.” What do you think about this?
That’s exactly right. The forms of art I engage in are like different outfits I wear, but I am still me, breathing the same air, living in the same environment, and doing things related to street culture and art. Although each field has different forms, the essence is still a process of training willpower, perseverance, acquiring knowledge and skills, and perfecting oneself in every aspect.
Does the current state of street culture make you feel it’s less beautiful than it once was?
Whether street culture is “less beautiful than before” is a matter of perspective. There is no right or wrong answer here, and each individual must decide their own opinion. For me, street culture is always beautiful, but it also always needs to have the ugly alongside it. Without this contrast, street culture would certainly lose its interest. This beauty and ugliness continuously develop and change, reflecting new trends and values. I always take advantage of this change and intersection to incorporate into my creativity as a bridge between the old and the new, beauty and ugliness in a new and exciting way.
You are a veteran name in Vietnamese street art. Has this ever become a source of pressure for you?
I wouldn’t dare claim the title of a veteran, but for 32 years, I’ve been inextricably linked to Vietnamese street culture and art. Strangely, with age comes a burgeoning voice, a wellspring of expression that yearns for an outlet. Art has become my medium, and I continuously revolve within its liberating sphere – street art. Of course, there must be pressure in creative art because pressure is the driving force that pushes me to create my work.
Vietnamese street art is gradually asserting its name in the world. But to set another milestone, what do you think the artistic community needs to do?
It’s difficult to propose a specific strategy or advice, but street art is a young, dynamic and constantly developing art form. Therefore, artists must maintain a creative spirit, keep learning, and open their hearts to new things to create unique, impressive artworks that bear personal imprints. Most importantly, art must come from the artist’s passion, dedication, and creative effort.
Thank you for sharing, Viet Max. We hope you and the street art community will always keep the flame of passion burning!
Producer/Rapper Rhymastic
Hello Rhymastic. What led you to the world of street culture and art?
I was born into a family where both my parents were engineers and quite strict in raising their children, but both were art lovers. I grew up heavily influenced by the music of many legends, from Michael Jackson, Bee Gees and Abba to AQUA. When I entered secondary school, I followed my friends to local cultural centers to watch people explore Hip Hop culture and interact through various art forms such as breakdance, beatbox, graffiti and skateboarding. All these experiences strongly stimulated my artistic soul, especially with street art, and enlightened me with many new definitions of the words “art” and “culture,” transforming me from a shy boy into someone passionate about the beauty in art, always wanting to explore the stories hidden in everything around me.
What is the musical identity that makes you stand out from many other rappers/producers?
My artistic mindset has never followed a framework; it is a blend of various life philosophies I have learned from my surroundings and a wealth of experience and knowledge from books. I always feel a scientific personality within me, one that loves curiosity, meticulousness, and depth. Still, I also admire the unconventional, wild, and free-spirited nature I find in many Rap/Hip Hop artists worldwide. There is always a struggle, a conflict within me between these two opposing perspectives. I always want to be thoroughly prepared and anticipate scenarios and risks, but at the same time, I want my mind to break free from the constraints and limits within me to create moments of surprise for myself.
You are one of the key artists standing at the intersection of mainstream and underground. Can you share more about this?
I am quite fortunate to have many brothers and friends, especially finding a like-minded collective in SpaceSpeakers. This has allowed me to witness the dark sides of the mainstream, the hustle, noise, and many calculations when working with many famous artists. I also learned a lot about professionalism, sharp thinking and deep knowledge from them. On the other hand, I have absorbed the free, united and sincere mindset of many underground brothers and am no stranger to disparagement and competition’s negative elements. I understand that only sincerity and kindness are the most solid, enduring answers for artists to gain respect from those around them.
The explosion of Rap has helped many talented artists become known to the public. But how can Rap develop sustainably, beyond a trend?
Every genre of music transforms along with the mindset and culture of each era. For Rap to develop sustainably, not only the artists but also the audience must work together to spread the core positive values of this genre, honor beautiful actions, great rhymes, and profound imagery. As long as these things continue to be maintained and spread, Rap music will always exist to add beautiful colors to the canvas of life.
How will you continue to develop in the future?
I want to move towards larger-scale artistic projects than I’ve done before. Through many gameshows and performances, I’ve learned a lot about my colleagues’ artistic thinking, so I’m eager to apply these lessons seriously to future works. It will no longer be just individual, disconnected pieces but an art form calculated for the long term, with a systematic approach and a clear storyline, supported by many artists from different specialties. All this is to create a “masterpiece,” just as I have imagined and cherished it for so long.
Thank you and we hope you are always full of creative energy!
Founder Phan Thanh Duy
Hello, Phan Thanh Duy. To start, could you introduce yourself and the Grimm DC brand?
Hello Heritage Fashion! I am Thanh Duy, a Vietnamese fashion enthusiast. I studied Business Administration and initially wasn’t very interested in fashion. However, I am now deeply involved in streetwear fashion and run Grimm DC, a local brand beloved by Vietnamese youth.
Initially, our firm produced ordinary products that we designed and outsourced for manufacturing. However, I soon realized that while Vietnam is renowned for its high-end garment exports, achieving that level of quality required large orders from factories, which was beyond the brand’s capacity. On the other hand, small-scale workshops demanded lower order quantities but often couldn’t guarantee product quality. After much deliberation, I decided to build our own factory to control the entire production process. Despite many challenges and near closures, today Grimm DC operates three factories capable of producing high-quality products proudly labeled “VIETMADE.”
What challenges did you face in incorporating Vietnamese culture into streetwear fashion?
I often describe the Vietnamese street culture market as “chaotic.” Despite its resilient thousand-year history, our traditional culture has been interrupted many times. As a result, young people often prefer foreign cultures and value them more. As a Vietnamese, it saddens me to see people around me hesitant or unwilling to wear products that tell the story of our country. Recognizing this, I strive to create beautiful products and make the wearer feel confident and proud. Making beautiful products isn’t too difficult, but changing someone’s mindset is very challenging. This is perhaps the biggest challenge.
How have you conveyed Vietnamese cultural and historical stories in your products for easy public acceptance?
Grimm DC is not the first brand to incorporate Vietnamese cultural and historical elements into fashion. However, before us, these products were often seen as souvenirs and lacked a connection with the wearer. By delving into our rich cultural heritage, my team and I have unearthed hidden historical stories, thoroughly researched them, and evoked national pride through our products. When we tell these wonderful stories from across Vietnam with all our hearts, they resonate with the hearts of millions of Vietnamese people.
Reflecting on your journey, what have been the most significant events for Grimm DC?
The most significant event was the launch of the Con Rong Chau Tien collection. At that time, Grimm DC was on the brink of bankruptcy. I decided to put all our efforts into creating one final collection. It was a gamble because no purely Vietnamese-themed streetwear collection had ever succeeded in our country. On the morning of the launch, my staff reported that the store was packed with people. Curious, I peeked out and saw a long line of people waiting to buy our products. At that moment, I knew we had succeeded, and my heart awakened with the realization: “This is the path we must take, the mission of Grimm DC’s life.”
What plans do you and your team have for future development?
I hope that every Vietnamese person around the world will have a Grimm DC product in their wardrobe. Every day, my team and I strive to continue the story of “creating the best products made by Vietnamese people, for Vietnamese people to use and proudly share with the world.” As I always emphasize, international recognition begins with the pride of Vietnamese people in their own achievements.
Thank you for sharing!
