Designing traditional costumes - opportunities and challenges.

At major beauty pageants, besides the performance of the national representative, the national costumes also become a topic of discussion among fans. For many years, images of Vietnamese bread, Vietnamese filter coffee, Ca Mau mats, etc., have served as inspiration for designers to promote Vietnamese culture and cuisine to international friends.

Signs of improvement

In recent years, many beauty pageants such as Miss Universe Vietnam, Miss Grand Vietnam, and Miss Universe Vietnam have organized costume design competitions inspired by national culture. This provides a stepping stone for young people to create and realize their dreams of promoting the beauty of their homeland to the international community through their "spiritual creations." These competitions have also produced many unique costumes, highly praised not only for their ideas but also for their stage presence, helping Vietnamese beauties shine.

These include the "Heavenly Dragon Dance" designed by Nguyen Le Vinh Tuong, inspired by the legend of the dragon and the fairy, worn by Miss Le Hoang Phuong at Miss Grand International 2023; the "Jade Butterfly" collection designed by Dang Tran Tri, with Nguyen Minh Cong as advisor, inspired by the butterfly-shaped parasol of the Nguyen Dynasty combined with the Japanese-style dress, worn by Miss Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen at Miss Universe 2024; and the "Flowering Stone Region " collection designed by Bui The Bao, inspired by the culture of the H'Mong people combined with the beauty of cherry blossoms on the rocky plateaus, recently showcased by model Nguyen Dinh Nhu Van at Miss Global 2025…

The Jade Butterfly Agarwood design was chosen by Miss Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen to wear at Miss Universe 2024.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

Previously, the "Banh Mi" costume designed by Pham Phuoc Dien had sparked controversy but helped H'Hen Niê "create a sensation" at the Miss Universe 2018 competition. Sharing her memories associated with this national costume, the beauty queen from Dak Lak expressed: "Many contestants and organizing staff called me 'Miss Banh Mi' after the national costume competition. I found it very cute, proving that the costume created a positive impression and made people remember and be impressed by it. Even now, sometimes international viewers still call me by this name."

While in the past, Vietnamese representatives commissioned national costumes from designers, in recent years, organizers of domestic beauty pageants have invested in a separate competition, linked to a fashion show, creating a colorful evening event. Miss Grand Vietnam, for example, even produced a reality TV show, inviting experienced designers to support the contestants.

Designer Dang Trong Minh Chau, a coach in the ethnic-inspired costume design segment of Miss Grand Vietnam 2024, stated: "This is an environment where contestants can introduce themselves, freely express their creativity and ideas. It's also a breeding ground for those with innovative thinking and abilities to develop their careers. For the organizers, these competitions not only create buzz but also provide them with unique costumes to use in international competitions where they hold the rights."

Miss Le Hoang Phuong showcased the "Heavenly Dragon Dance" costume at Miss Grand International 2023.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

A difficult problem that needs a solution.

The development of beauty pageants has created an increasing demand for traditional costumes. Each year, we have dozens of contestants competing in international arenas, not to mention the numerous domestic competitions that provide great opportunities for young talents to showcase themselves and pave the way for future career development. Furthermore, these competitions offer a significant chance to promote the beauty of Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and more to the world .

With her experience competing internationally, Miss H'Hen Niê shared: "Through a costume, if the audience is impressed, they will learn more about the origin and inspiration of that design." Sharing the same viewpoint, Dang Tran Tri, the creator of the " Ngoc Diep Ky Nam" costume, believes that national costume design competitions are not only a creative playground but also open up many career opportunities.

"If a design is impressive, the audience can gain recognition, build a reputation, and have more opportunities for collaboration in the fashion industry. Overall, this is a win-win opportunity, both promoting the development of the fashion design industry and helping to widely promote Vietnam's image internationally," said designer Dang Tran Tri.

The combination of creativity and national spirit is the key to ensuring that the costumes not only possess artistic value but also convey the story of Vietnamese culture to international friends in the most impressive way.

Designer Dang Tran Tri

However, along with the advantages, young designers also face many challenges. Notably, finding and refining ideas from a wide variety of "materials" is considered a difficult problem that needs a solution. Moreover, the journey from sketch to reality is not a "one-day or two-day" affair, but a whole process of effort. Many national costumes, despite being highly praised in their sketches, have failed to fully convince the audience in their final product. This shows that finding suitable materials and researching the execution methods are crucial considerations.

Dang Tran Tri shared that creating the outfit for Miss Ky Duyen at Miss Universe 2024 presented many challenges, including time constraints, sourcing materials, finding suitable styles, and balancing aesthetics with comfort for the wearer. To ensure a smooth process, the young designer stated that he always prioritizes traditional culture alongside contemporary fashion trends. He believes this ensures the outfit not only reflects Vietnamese identity but is also fashionable, helping the Vietnamese representative stand out on stage.

"In addition, I also listen to opinions from experts, the audience, and especially the wearers to adjust the designs to suit their body shape and performance style. The combination of creativity and national spirit is the key to ensuring that the costumes not only have artistic value but also convey the story of Vietnamese culture to international friends in the most impressive way," Dang Tran Tri said.

Designer Dang Trong Minh Chau believes that when designing traditional costumes, it's necessary to showcase novelty and innovative ideas. In addition, stage effects, aesthetics, and fashionability are also important considerations to help contestants stand out on stage. "I hope we will always have talented young people who make new contributions and create appeal. I also hope the organizers will provide more funding and support to help them confidently express their creativity," Dang Trong Minh Chau stated.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thiet-design-trang-phuc-dan-toc-co-hoi-va-thach-thuc-185250325232554613.htm