Arts Thread

As a young Vietnamese designer, I always desired to develop my career by embracing Vietnamese heritage and history through costume and fashion - the strongest expression and first impression of any human being. Ao-dai is a traditional dress of Vietnam that was originally applied to the outfit worn at the court of the Nguyen Dynasty at Hue in the 18th century. This outfit evolved into the áo ngũ thân, a five-paneled aristocratic gown worn in the 19th and early 20th centuries. With the evolution of fashion, Ao-dai today has two panels, made of various types of fabric and it is for everybody who wants to embrace the Vietnam heritage on special occasions and also as daily wear. For this project, I would like to practice gender-switching by placing the white ao-dai on menswear, as a new concept. Starting with the deconstruction of the original patterns of the dress and its pants, into a zero-waste pattern. Later on, the deconstruction of the material is futuristic PU leather with the same method of cutting a decoration garland for weddings in Vietnam. It gives the flat piece of material a new dimension, and structure and endless possibilities of placements on the outfit design. Impressed by two photographs of modern Vietnamese women at the art exhibition “La sourire de la mutation” (The Smile of Mutation) featuring French, Belgian, and Vietnamese artists in January 2018, I created a large-scale computer-based painting that combined those most popular patterns are used for UV-protective mask and headwear for women in Viet Nam: polka dot, tiny floral with red, blue and violet. Women cover their identities to commute for work, study, and family businesses during the daytime. It is a metaphor for the hard pressure of society on every woman, which demands them to take multiple roles without support, protection, and recognition. In order to match that expectation, the women have to put themselves aside, gear up, and become anonymous in their lives. It is a kind of mutation. Moreover, garland cutting patterns are executed by a laser cutter, and using it as the top layer is a liberal act of expression.