Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet Daily News
WESTMINSTER, Calif.– Bigger venue? Check. More designers? Check again. More models? You bet. All these things add up to a Viet Fashion Week bigger and better than its predecessor, created in 2014 by former model and Runway Entertainment founder Tracy Pham.
A model wears a short dress by Jacky Tai at the Viet Fashion Week show held at the Rose Center in Westminster. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) “We always want to grow and get better. Last year was our first time, and even for the first time, it was hugely successful. We went from seven designers to nine, and this is only the beginning. We want to be the ‘it’ fashion week for Vietnamese people all over the world,” Pham said.
Viet Fashion Week founder Tracy Pham (center) receives a certificate of recognition from the City of Westminster Mayor Tri Ta (left) and Diana Carey (second from left) as MC Leyna Nguyen (right) looks on.(Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) With nine featured designers showcasing their various fall and winter collections April 2 and 3, Viet Fashion Week aimed to give visibility to young designers and serve as a springboard to help launch their careers. Held previously at the Asian Garden Mall, this year’s venue was held at the Rose Center in Westminster, Calif., and featured returning mistress of ceremonies, KCAL9 news anchor Leyna Nguyen. KCAL9 news anchor Leyna Nguyen poses during rehearsal for Viet Fashion Week’s opening show. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) Designer Son Minh Luong poses with his models wearing his ao dai collection.(Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) Luong, who traveled from Saigon to participate in the show, said he hopes to usher in a new era of Vietnamese designs. “It took me four months to get these designs ready for this show. Everything is handmade and I am really proud to be here,” Luong said. “This is a playground for us designers, and I couldn’t be more excited.” His designs include traditional white ao dais embellished in ornate gold beading in addition to evening gowns. His designs also feature hand painted rural scenes of the Vietnamese country side.
A behind the scenes look at a model while she gets her hair done. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) Tai, another recognizable name in the Vietnamese fashion scene, says his collection was inspired by the first fall and winter he spent in America in 1991. The fabrics included lush shades of yellow and red to emulate fall leaves, with other fluid silver sequined gowns to show the contrast of snowflakes of winter. “I can still remember sitting inside and looking out the window, and seeing the vivid autumn colors of Portland (Oregon). The winters were extra cold, but the warmth and love I had from my seven siblings and my mom during that first winter made it bearable and I want to bring that sense of home and hearth to my designs.” A model wears a design that is part of Jacky Tai’s collection. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) Although this show is meant to highlight Vietnamese talent in the fashion industry, not everyone involved is Vietnamese, namely the models. Shameka Jones, 22, an African American runway model who has walked for LA Fashion Week, says this show compared to others she had worked with but offered extras. “I love the atmosphere and the people,” she said. “You get the extra bonus of seeing the cultural influences in the designs that you don’t see at LA Fashion Week.” Plus, she said she appreciated the inclusion of non-Vietnamese models and deemed it, “cool.”
A model wears Cynthia Bui’s blush collection of ao dai. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) Ngan Savage,36, and Quynh Nguyen, 23, also modeled in the show, wearing dramatic eye makeup reminiscent of geishas and severe hair bouffants, said they love working with Calvin Hiep because his work is avant garde. Bold red ao dais worn without the traditional ao dai pants are just a few examples of Hiep pushing the envelope. “If you see his designs, you KNOW it’s Calvin Hiep,” Nguyen said.
The models line up to prepare for designer Jacky Tai’s bow.(Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet) Working for Hiep just topped off an exciting week for Savage, who said she enjoyed the entire Viet Fashion Week. “It’s everything,” she said. “The prep work. The hurry up and wait. The practices. The fittings. The final walk. It’s all really exciting.” For Tracy Pham, who started it all, the significance of a fashion week specifically for Vietnamese designer is based simply on the tenet of visibility. “Fashion is all about brand recognition” for designers, she said. “For people to follow them, they need to showcase their collections so everyone knows they exist. Even mainstream designers like Chanel. They have to showcase every season what to wear, and where to buy it.Vietnamese designers do not have that luxury, so Viet Fashion Week is a vehicle for them to showcase their collection to the world.” For more information, you can go to www.vietfashionweek.com. == Contact the writer: [email protected]
