The Collective, a group of designers working in Asia, organized a fashion show to introduce its new collection at the Traders restaurant and bar in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Featuring collections from eight designers, mostly French nationals living in HCMC, the show had products for women, men and children for all occasions.

 

A Parisian charm was brought to the night at the Traders as models, mostly expatriate and local amateurs, used two floors as their sidewalk, walking down from the upper to the lower floor via a wooden staircase.

 

“The show introduced fashion designs for all occasions ranging from ‘on the beach’ and ‘on the street’ to evening cocktail dresses. It was also an occasion for expats and locals alike to chill out with friends and family,” said Le Thu, an enthusiastic member of the audience.

 

The show started with a collection of swimming costumes for children and women by Lili Rose, followed by a collection for children’s wear by Little Anh Em.

 

The highlight of the show was a wedding and cocktail dress collection by Parisian Sophie Bas who worked as a fashion designer for five years in Paris before coming to Vietnam in August last year with her husband.

 

“I like (to design) the wedding dress which is light, comfortable and can move along with the body smoothly. Chiffon and organza are transparent and I make different layers for each dress. For example, this chiffon wedding dress has an open layer covering the close layer inside. It takes months to make a wedding dress like this,” Bas said.

 

She said all of her clothes made in Vietnam and she also bought all fabric here although “it is not easy to find fabric in Vietnam”. She also said she finds that “Vietnam is full of energy, everything happens here and people are motivated to do things.”

 

Young Vietnamese French designer Linda Mai Phung, also from Paris, introduced her collection for both women and men with unique and chic designs inspired by the Hmong and Bana ethnic handmade fabric and embroidery as well as other recycled materials. 

 

After the show, the collections were put on sale, and the audience was able to try designs they liked. “The price sounds good. I really like this chiffon wedding dress by Sophie Bas. For such a sophisticated wedding dress, it is cheap to pay $850,” said Nguyen Thuy, a Vietnamese fashion designer.