Designer Thao Nguyen brings a feminist message to her cloud-inspired collection

Launching her collection to celebrate the decade-long anniversary of Vietnam International Fashion Week (AVIFW) , and marking 10 years in the profession, Thao Nguyen poured her heart and soul into 40 designs.

The designer said she has always been endlessly inspired by the beauty of nature. She associates the image of multicolored clouds with the emotions and moods of a woman at various stages of her life.

The first part of the collection features outfits in predominantly gray and black tones, symbolizing dark clouds on rainy days. The designer likens this imagery to the difficulties and challenges in life that every woman must go through.

In the second part, Thao Nguyen paints a vibrant picture through dresses in sweet pastel shades, symbolizing hope and a bright future, conveying the message "after the rain comes sunshine."

The Cloud collection was completed by the designer and her team in about two months, with the most elaborate stages being the material processing and embellishment. Thao Nguyen said she used fabrics that have become her signature in many fashion seasons, such as organza and taffeta, to create luxurious, glossy evening gowns.

In addition, the designer also incorporated a novel material, organza silk, creating a soft, cloud-like feel. This new material requires a lot of processing time to incorporate into the garments, resulting in flowing yet structured designs that don't wrinkle, making the wearer look more elegant.

The cloud imagery is captured through diverse layering techniques, combined with hundreds of hours of meticulous work by skilled artisans who meticulously attach sparkling, high-quality gemstones.

Besides the designer's familiar silhouettes such as classic A-line dresses and strapless dresses, the designer also reinvents herself with mermaid dresses, bodycon dresses, and cut-out designs.

Besides the cloud imagery, she also incorporated popular global trends such as pretty little bows as accents, and layers of fringed fabric creating a cloud-like effect.

Runner-up Che Nguyen Quynh Chau was the first face to open the Cloud collection.

First runner-up of Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 , Che Nguyen Quynh Chau, has been associated with the designer for many seasons, often taking on important roles in the designer's shows. The beauty queen gracefully stepped onto the stage to the melodious music in a custom-made red dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. The design, made from taffeta with a body-hugging silhouette, was embellished with sparkling stones and paired with a cape, creating a powerful, goddess-like appearance.

Taking on the role of first face for the second act is Miss Universe Vietnam 2023 Xuan Hanh.

Recreating the image of sweet, romantic pink clouds, Miss Xuan Hanh wore a multi-layered organza dress that created a flowing effect. Along the dress, the designer attached hundreds of wildflowers in 3D relief, creating the effect of falling petals. The outfit took Thao Nguyen and her team more than a week to complete entirely by hand.

The handcrafted embellishments add a unique touch to each design.

Appearing as the vedette, H'Hen Niê was met with applause as she confidently strode in a short, thigh-length black dress with two long, flowing panels, creating a unique and unconventional look.

Miss H'Hen Niê has been Thảo Nguyễn's familiar "muse" for nearly a decade, helping her to best convey the message of female empowerment, overcoming all difficulties and challenges like rainy days to reach bright sunny days.

The dress worn by Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 took over two weeks to create, using a handcrafted technique of attaching thousands of rhinestones to form novel modular patterns on the fabric surface, interwoven with tiny rhinestone threads resembling the gentle patter of summer raindrops.

The designer said that the highly artistic and performance-oriented designs worn by the beauty queen as the vedette in her fashion shows are in high demand, but she usually produces them in limited quantities, requiring a high level of difficulty and craftsmanship.

The designer and the models in the show's closing act.

Fashion designer Thao Nguyen, born in 1991, entered the fashion world at the young age of 18. At that time, she was a first-year student at the Central University of Arts, majoring in fashion design. After graduating, she established her own fashion brand. She gained recognition for participating in Project Runway Vietnam , where she reached the top 9. For the past 10 years, she has regularly launched collections at AVIFW and many other fashion shows. She has also successfully organized personal shows celebrating her 5th anniversary in the industry, such as Following the Sun…

Photo: Kieng Can team

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-trang-tre/ntk-thao-nguyen-mang-thong-diep-nu-quyen-vao-bo-suu-tap-cam-hung-may-troi-1852406161642477.htm