The boy from Nghe An and his dream in Italy

The 10X generation young man from Vinh city has proudly "stood shoulder to shoulder with friends from all over the world" with ideas conceived from the soul of the Vietnamese countryside and the spirit of the Nghe people. Photo: NVCC

Always towards the homeland

Born and raised in Vinh city, Phan Dang Hoang was known to many people since childhood for his outstanding painting ability, especially his talent for drawing portraits, even though he had never attended any school. With the encouragement of his family, Hoang cherished and determined to realize his dream of studying abroad in Italy, becoming a student at one of the most prestigious fashion academies in the world.

In Milan - one of the five fashion capitals of the world, Hoang quickly got used to life away from home, caught up with his studies at school and spent his time off to visit places and broaden his knowledge. But like many other students, Hoang had a memorable time when he had to fulfill his own "dual goal" - to complete his studies well in the context of Italy becoming a "hot spot" of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the voice message exchanges on the social networking application Facebook Messenger, Hoang wistfully recalled that after his most recent trip home to Vietnam, in October 2020, he packed his bags and returned to Italy to start working on his graduation collection - his "brainchild" after 3 years of studying. Struggling with countless ideas, even initially intending to choose an abstract or European-related theme, Hoang eventually decided to research and build a fashion collection that could convey to everyone the beautiful values ​​of Vietnamese culture and people.

“I have many international friends, but not many of them know and have had the opportunity to visit Vietnam. Therefore, I asked myself, as a Vietnamese, why not choose the topic of my country, which is both an “advantageous” field because I have basic knowledge, can research and explore more deeply, and also an opportunity to market and promote our image and unique culture to the five continents.”
_Phan Dang Hoang _

The idea of ​​a collection inspired by Vietnamese craft villages was refined by Phan Dang Hoang through many draft designs. Photo: NVCC

That concern was the motivation for Hoang to make a last-minute choice, deciding to build the design concept for the fashion collection “Quintessence”, based on rattan and bamboo materials - a “specialty” of Asia in general, Vietnamese craft villages in particular, and received a nod of support from the instructor. Conquering the biggest difficulty, clearly defining the tasks to be done, Hoang spent the following months meticulously designing the drawings, and he could not remember how many times he edited and changed before coming up with the final options for the collection.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also greatly affected Phan Dang Hoang's creative work. At that time, Italy was one of the countries most severely affected, with the number of new infections and deaths every day always at an alarming level. Fashion and accessory stores were forced to close, and plans to send rattan and bamboo materials from Vietnam had to be put on hold, causing Hoang many obstacles, but with a determined spirit, the 21-year-old quickly found a solution to "live with" the epidemic.

He went online, ordered online from stores in France, Italy,..., waited for people to send samples of the materials to experience directly before deciding to order. The social distancing and lockdown orders also made Hoang's journey more difficult, when he could only go to school to meet lecturers to discuss and receive feedback on the collection in a very short time, while fashion design is a specialized field of study, requiring a lot of practice.

However, with the mindset of considering it as "fire tests gold, hardship tests strength", and at the same time trying to promote the strengths of Nghe An people such as studious spirit, diligence, hard work, and overcoming difficulties, Hoang encourages himself that if he keeps trying, the results will be worthy.

Young designer Dang Hoang created his graduation collection while the Covid-19 pandemic was complicated in Italy in particular, Europe and the world in general. Photo: NVCC

Meticulous in every step, the talented young man designs each hat, handbag, earring,... to match each outfit in the collection, then does it by hand and utilizes 2D and 3D printing technology to create the most perfect finished product possible.

Although the handling and shaping are very modern and have a Western feel, the overall collection exudes a strong Asian and Vietnamese spirit, which is the destination that makes Phan Dang Hoang feel satisfied and happy with what he has done.

Models showcase unique designs by Phan Dang Hoang in the show of NABA fashion academy. Photo: NVCC

Affirming position in the hearts of international friends

Although he was very satisfied with his brainchild and successfully passed many rounds of auditions, Phan Dang Hoang admitted that he was still unsure about the feedback and evaluation from his direct instructors and the professional council before the final audition.

“At that time, my collection had not yet completely won over my instructor. But after my 5-minute presentation, I had convinced everyone. I was overwhelmed with emotions, not only because I received satisfied looks from the fashion council consisting of prestigious figures with many years of experience in the profession, and because I was praised and highly appreciated by my teacher for being able to complete the collection in such difficult conditions and limited time, or being included in the top 30 best collections participating in the school's annual fashion show, but most of all, I felt proud to have successfully conveyed the cherished messages. It was such a pride to mention the two beloved words Vietnam in front of my teachers and international friends,” Hoang smiled as he recalled.

Prestigious fashion magazine Vogue published images of Phan Dang Hoang's collection. Screenshot

The reputation of the young Vietnamese designer spread far and wide, and the impressive collection of the young Vietnamese designer was spread by word of mouth among friends in the department and school, and became known to many people. The name Phan Dang Hoang was then honored to appear in Vogue Italy - the world's leading fashion magazine and Notjustalabel - a global fashion industry platform based in Los Angeles (USA) and London (UK), along with compliments for the young talent.

For Hoang, that was a good start to fashion. And the 10X designer has changed the perception of many people, that fashion is not simply about dressing well, but it is also a bridge to express messages, hidden profound meanings. The presence of rattan and bamboo materials, natural materials, is both imbued with Vietnamese identity, showing respect for traditional values, honoring the image of meticulous, skillful artisans, and keeping up with the current trend of sustainable fashion, friendly to the environment.

Believing that with a budding talent, along with rare subtlety and subtlety, and a passionate heart always anxious to cherish the best of Vietnam, of his homeland Nghe An, Phan Dang Hoang will go even further, presenting collections that will delight fashionistas at home and abroad./.