VietNamNet Bridge – Young fashion designers in HCM City last Sunday have introduced their latest collections at Zen Plaza, offering new trends for the final shopping season that begins early next month.

Retrofit: Tune of Jazz introduces quality products using local materials.

For her collection, Bao Kim delves into the past by using dresses worn by women in Viet Nam in the 1930s.

Using only silk, Kim highlights the traditional beauty of women, both old and young, who look charming in swaths of white, cream and purple pink.

In her collection, Hong Dung uses cotton, khaki and embroidery to launch simple, high-end styles.

“No more foreign items, Vietnamese only,” says Hong Dung, one of the city’s young promising designers. Her collection also includes accessories made by local craftsman.

Dung says shop owners stocked Thai and Korean accessories last year but went local this year, because “we now offer quality products at reasonable prices.”

The accessories young designers like Dung sells cost only VND50,000 (US$3) per item, saving customers a lot of money.

Skilled designers Nhat Huy, Nguyen Sa and Tan Phat introduce dresses made of chiffon, taffeta and velvet.

While Sa’s designs in hot colours, such as orange, banana green and yellow, are suitable for people who love trendy styles, his colleagues Huy and Phat offer only black and white.

Like international brands, local fashion houses are also hoping to capitalise on holiday buying, and they are spending on advertising to grab the attention of consumers.

Local products are pricey, starting at over $100, but many customers with deep pockets are thrilled that sophisticated designs can now be found in many shops.

Many of the collections, available at shopping centres like Zen Plaza, however, also feature products costing as little as $20, while still providing a taste of global fashion trends.

“We face challenges this season as people are tightening their belt due to economic difficulty,” said Sa, who believes the competition will become even more fierce.

Sa and his colleagues say their business strategy is “enjoy quality and beautiful products but save money as well.”

(Source: Viet Nam News)