In an era of burgeoning global recognition for Vietnamese creatives, a new vanguard of designers is making indelible marks on the international fashion landscape. Among them, DOAN Atelier stands out, weaving a narrative of heritage and innovation into the very fabric of its collections. Their latest offering, "Nàng Gấm," or "Folklore of the Silk Lady," is a profound exploration of traditions passed down through generations, celebrating the enduring beauty and strength of Vietnamese women throughout history with a vision that elevates the regality of labor.
Jennie (Gia Linh) Doan, a graduate of Seneca Polytechnic’s Fashion Arts program, unveiled this pivotal collection last spring. Her innovative and bold designs, deeply rooted in Vietnamese tradition, not only captured attention but also earned her a prestigious nomination at the recent Canada Arts and Fashion Awards for the Fashion Design Student Award. This recognition signals a significant moment for emerging talent within the diaspora, highlighting the growing influence of Vietnamese design on the global stage.
EnVi sat down with the creative forces behind DOAN Atelier, sibling duo Jennie and Austin Doan, for an in-depth conversation via Zoom. They shared insights into their familial roots, the genesis of their brand, and the rich lore that underpins the "Nàng Gấm" collection, offering a glimpse into a design philosophy that honors the past while boldly stepping into the future.
The Duo Behind DOAN Atelier: A Fusion of Artistic Legacies
The partnership between Jennie and Austin Doan is a natural extension of their sibling bond, seamlessly translating into their collaborative creative endeavors. Jennie, the visionary designer, spearheads the articulation and construction of each garment, bringing her precise aesthetic to life. Austin, serving as the creative director, cultivates the collection’s overarching vision through meticulous research and evocative editorial photoshoots.
Hailing from Vietnam, the siblings are heirs to a family deeply immersed in the arts. Their lineage boasts three generations of musicians and dancers, a heritage that has profoundly shaped their artistic sensibilities. Jennie’s background in ballet and Austin’s studies in traditional music provided them with a unique understanding of movement, form, and storytelling through performance. Upon relocating to Toronto for their studies, they sought to forge new paths within the artistic realm. Austin expanded his creative scope to encompass visual mediums, producing music videos, short films, and documentaries, while Jennie discovered her calling in the intricate world of fashion.
"We’ve always been so fascinated with fashion, and I think it makes sense because we’re both in the arts," Austin remarked. "We’re both performers ourselves, and so we have that kind of connection to costume design." This shared understanding of performance and its visual language proved instrumental in their design approach.
Years of dance rehearsals, witnessing the grandeur of theatrical costumes, and appreciating the meticulous craftsmanship behind stage productions allowed Jennie to perceive a profound overlap between theatrical costuming and haute couture. In dance, where movement and the body serve as the primary language, costumes are inherently structured to enhance and articulate these expressions. Jennie has ingeniously translated this principle into her designs, believing it to be the foundational element of DOAN Atelier. "Garments have to move a certain way and be seen a certain way," she explained, underscoring the dynamic relationship between fabric, form, and the wearer.
The Lore Behind "Nàng Gấm": Weaving History and Symbolism
Drawing from a family steeped in classical art forms and a generational inheritance of craft, Jennie and Austin delved into traditional Vietnamese arts, beginning with the stories that have been a constant in their lives. The collection’s title, "Folklore of the Silk Lady," is a direct homage to the legends, myths, and tales that formed the bedrock of their upbringing. Jennie found particular inspiration in the narratives of Vietnamese heroines, from the formidable Trưng sisters, 1st-century military commanders who led significant rebellions against Chinese rule, to the resilient maidens in fairytales like "Tấm and Cám," often referred to as the Vietnamese Cinderella. Coupled with personal anecdotes and family histories shared by her grandparents and parents, Jennie sought to honor the custodians of folklore: the women who carry history forward.
"I wanted to dive deeper into how women dressed in the past and what they normally wore," Jennie elaborated. "I got inspired by áo dài, our traditional costume, áo yếm, and áo bà ba." Her research into Vietnamese garments spanned regional variations and historical evolution, meticulously tracing the threads of sartorial history.
The extensive research into the evolution of Vietnamese womenswear was a critical component of the collection’s development, with Austin leveraging his documentary filmmaking experience to guide the process. A significant challenge, as Jennie noted, was maintaining historical accuracy while allowing for creative interpretation. This delicate balance allowed the collection to be both a tribute and a contemporary re-imagining.
Silk, Vietnam’s most historically significant and widely produced fabric, takes center stage in "Nàng Gấm." The collection prominently features gấm (heavy silk) and lụa (mulberry silk), fabrics that carry centuries of cultural significance. "When she first pitched this idea, it very much felt like a love letter to silk," Austin reflected. "It not only felt like a love letter to the fabric itself, but to Vietnamese women." This profound reverence for both the material and its muses is palpable in every piece, reinterpreting traditional Vietnamese attire through a contemporary, editorial lens.
The Dichotomy of Labor and Nobility
At its heart, "Nàng Gấm" explores the intricate interplay of class, labor, and femininity. The collection’s striking color palette embodies a powerful duality: black and yellow represent the working class and nobility, respectively. Historically, black was favored by rural laborers due to its practicality in concealing dirt during agricultural work. In contrast, the upper classes adorned themselves in vibrant yellows, symbolizing wealth, affluence, and authority. This distinction was further amplified by the exclusive access to silk, a luxurious fabric accessible only to those of higher social and economic standing.
The collection showcases a diverse array of iconic Vietnamese garments, transcending social classes, regions, and occasions. It moves from the formal elegance of the áo dài to the more intimate silhouettes of everyday wear, such as the áo yếm, a halterneck undergarment, and the áo bà ba, a long-sleeved blouse and pant set traditionally associated with women in the Mekong Delta.
Looks 2 and 5 exemplify this nuanced balance, reinterpreting traditional garments with a modern sensibility while preserving the timeless, rustic, and intimate beauty of Vietnamese femininity. Notably, Look 5 gained international recognition when it was featured in Lady Gaga and Doechii’s music video for "RUNWAY." The ensemble, featuring a skirt adorned with a lotus-leaf pattern that flares like a blooming lotus, seamlessly integrates profound cultural imagery into a high-fashion context. This visual narrative aligns the motif of Vietnamese femininity and resilience with the song’s theme of self-assured confidence.
Further enriching the collection are reimagined accessories such as the khăn mỏ quạ, a square headscarf worn by rural working women; the nón ba tầm, a flat palm hat favored by middle to upper-class Northerners; the mấn (or khăn đóng), a ceremonial wedding headdress; and the kiềng, a silver or gold necklace often passed down as a cherished heirloom.
The deliberate inclusion of attire from various regions of Vietnam underscores the diversity of labor and how dress is intrinsically shaped by place, work, and daily life. "Nàng Gấm" masterfully fuses the utilitarian design of workwear with the regal silhouettes of ceremonial garb, intertwining them into contemporary couture compositions.
This juxtaposition is particularly evident in Look 1. The long robe draws inspiration from the áo tơi, a rain cloak traditionally crafted from layered palm leaves, and the áo long bào, a gold, dragon-emblazoned robe historically reserved for emperors. This intentional pairing of garments from disparate origins creates a powerful dialogue between practicality and grandeur.
Look 3’s skirt silhouette echoes the shape of nơm bắt cá (fish trapping baskets), while cascading yellow silk fringes evoke flowing grains of rice. This imagery powerfully connects to generations of agricultural labor and sustenance, highlighting the foundational role of farming in Vietnamese culture.
Look 4 pays homage to the ethnic minority communities residing in Vietnam’s mountainous regions. Its dramatic, asymmetrical shoulder piece emulates rolling hills and towering peaks, while carved waves across the garment depict the movement of ruộng bậc thang (terraced rice fields). Worn over a backless áo yếm-inspired dress with a daring leg slit, and a wide-brimmed nón ba tầm that artfully obscures the eyes, the look exudes confidence and allure, capturing the quiet resilience characteristic of Vietnamese women.
From Sketch to Silhouette: The Art of Craftsmanship
Look 4 also holds a special significance as it represents the genesis of the "Nàng Gấm" collection – the initial sketch from which the entire concept blossomed. This design was the first brought to life, with the original sketch meticulously preserved throughout its execution.
The construction of the piece proved to be a significant learning curve, with Jennie testifying to the intricate challenges of working with silk. Compounding this was the constraint of a finite material supply. This scarcity reinforced their commitment to sourcing all silks and fabrics for the collection directly from Vietnam. The Doan family played an integral role in the collection’s development, with Jennie and Austin’s parents procuring the necessary textiles from local markets and artisans in Vietnam before shipping them to Canada. This support system, involving family, local businesses, and artisans, embodies an "it takes a village" approach, reinforcing the collection’s dedication to Vietnamese authenticity and craftsmanship.
During the interview, Jennie showcased a piece of test fabric she experimented on to achieve the distinctive grooved slashes on the shoulder of Look 4. The trademark yellow silk peeks from beneath layers of black canvas, interwoven with intricate hand-stitched embroidery. Jennie revealed that she had meticulously dissected an áo dài sent by her mother, studying its layers, seams, and construction to gain a deeper understanding of its assembly.
The painstaking level of detail infused into each piece truly embodies the thematic proverb of "Nàng Gấm": khó nhọc, sống sau, translated literally as "suffer first, ease later," a Vietnamese equivalent of "no pain, no gain." This philosophy, ingrained in Jennie and Austin by their parents, was particularly felt by Jennie as she meticulously assembled each garment.
This ethos of discipline and care is mirrored in Jennie’s design philosophy. "As a designer, I feel like everything we do, we have to have the intention behind it," she stated. "I don’t want to put something in without any meaning – even down to the smallest detail like a button or a seam."
Embracing agricultural motifs throughout the collection, Jennie underscored the importance of hand labor in "harvesting the fruit" of her work. Much like the fishermen, rice harvesters, weavers, and countless hardworking Vietnamese individuals, it is precisely this intensive labor and dedication that is essential for preserving delicate beauty. Through the creation of this collection, Jennie gained a profound appreciation for the labor of Vietnamese women throughout history and their invaluable contributions to preserving cultural and material traditions.
"Nàng Gấm" on the Global Stage: A New Era for Vietnamese Talent
The "Nàng Gấm" collection represents just the beginning for DOAN Atelier. Jennie and Austin are focused on solidifying their presence in the fashion industry, navigating the demanding rhythms of academic pursuits, professional careers, and life itself. Their immediate goals include further familiarizing themselves with the industry’s intricacies, fostering connections with fellow creative minds, and building a robust team.
Deeply inspired by the Vietnamese designers who paved the way and their contemporary peers, the siblings aspire to join them in occupying significant space on the global stage, representing a flourishing vision of Vietnamese talent.
During the development and showcase of "Nàng Gấm," Jennie and Austin observed a consistent reaction from many: "Wow, is this coming from Vietnam?" This sentiment initially surprised them, as they noted, "This is something we could easily have access to. Literally, if you go to Bến Thành Market, this silk is so abundant, but it is something so unknown to people elsewhere."
As one of the world’s largest exporters of textiles, Vietnam plays a pivotal role in the global fashion supply chain. However, its long legacy of intricate craftsmanship has remained largely underrecognized. Only recently have initiatives like the viral social media attention garnered by Hội An tailors from tourists brought some visibility. Yet, for Vietnamese people, tailoring culture has always been an integral part of daily life, with shops ubiquitous in every neighborhood.
When reflecting on what they hope both Vietnamese and international audiences take away from their future work, Austin shared, "It’s not just about promoting Vietnamese fabrics and products, but also for them to know that ‘Hey, we’re Vietnamese and we can do this.’ This is something from our country, and this is something we can do."
As Jennie and Austin Doan embark on their future creative endeavors, DOAN Atelier continues to build upon the foundational principles of "Nàng Gấm," translating heritage into modern reinterpretations. The brand remains committed to positioning Vietnam not merely as a hub for production, but as a forefront of emerging creative talent, a nation steeped in rich craftsmanship, cultural memory, and innovation.
At the core of DOAN Atelier lies an ongoing tribute to Vietnamese women, past and present, whose strength, resilience, and labor continue to shape the very fabric of each meticulously crafted piece. Their work stands as a testament to the enduring power of cultural heritage and the vibrant future of Vietnamese design.
