From relics to fashion: Cuong Dam pays tribute to history through special designs

Transforming memories into fashion language, that is how Cuong Dam, Creative Director of C.Dam, launched the special photo series “The Flow of Blood,” inspired by family albums, medals and relics of grandparents.

The product was created on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day, as Cuong Dam's way of connecting today's young generation with the previous generation, to show gratitude and continue the values that have become the flow of national history.

“Common Blood” evokes family memories

Regarding the special photo series, Cuong Dam shared: “In each photo, I still see my grandparents and a whole generation standing behind: quiet but proud. And then, the question arises: if they once had such great faith, then what will our faith be – the young people of today? How can we make that source not only flow in our memories, but also shape the present and the future?”

Originating from personal stories, “The Flow of Blood” has created a simple but powerful message: From the individual drops of blood in each person, each family, with faith and ideals, has merged into the common blood of the nation. This is a silent but profound gratitude, touching the core values that many generations have preserved.

Cuong Dam said that in the old family album, there are many images that make him emotional and proud. That is his grandfather appearing in a field surgery in Dien Bien valley; in his hometown Ha Bac, his grandmother quietly carries medicine and bandages on her shoulder to send to the front line...

The previous generation, whether on the front line or in the rear, shared a simple but steadfast belief: The country must be independent and free, so that everyone can live fully and no longer be divided.

They have devoted and sacrificed their own blood to join the common blood of the nation, the blood that has dyed the national flag red. From that image, Cuong Dam and his colleagues created the photo series “The Blood,” recalling family memories and recreating them through the language of fashion.

Continuing the legacy of the past

Growing up in a family with a strong revolutionary tradition, Cuong Dam inherited the spiritual legacy from his grandparents, who devoted their entire lives to the country. His grandfather, military doctor Dam Tien Hien, with 65 years of Party membership, went through fierce battlefields from Dien Bien Phu, Khe Sanh (Quang Tri), Route 9 Southern Laos to the Ho Chi Minh campaign, Cambodia and the northern border. Beside him was Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bon, a nurse and midwife, silently nurturing life in the rear.

On the maternal side of the family, Cuong Dam's grandfather is a military officer, 53 years of Party membership, and worked at the Military Region 3 Command, while his maternal grandmother Nguyen Thi Mui, 64 years of Party membership, has been closely associated with the Commerce sector.

Memorabilia such as medals, worn-out pieces of clothing, and old photos carry the weight of history, but gradually fall into oblivion in the silence of time. It is at this “threshold” that Cuong Dam has transformed his family’s heritage, memories, and memorabilia into fashion designs. Accompanying the photo series is Dahan Phuong Oanh - a young model who has left her mark on Vietnamese identity at international fashion weeks.

Cuong Dam said design number 1 is called “The doctor on the front line” with a long coat with raised shoulders reminiscent of military uniforms, while the red medal on the chest symbolizes the blood that saved the soldiers who gathered to become historical evidence.

The inspiration of “The Doctor Grandfather on the Front Line.” (Photo courtesy of the character’s family)

In design 2, the image of “The nurse in the rear” is “hidden” behind red stripes spread across a white background, symbolizing the drop of blood connecting the rear to the front line, merging with the common blood of the nation.

And the "Grandfather" in the third design is a soldier on the battlefield, expressed through a military uniform with large shoulders and a stiff shape but recreated with curves and modern tailoring techniques, expressing Cuong Dam's own fashion language.

“The imprints and legacies of our loved ones are still present like 'drops of blood' flowing in the veins of our descendants, becoming the inspiration that I want to convey through this special photo series on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day,” Cuong Dam expressed./.