In an era of escalating global recognition for Vietnamese artistry, a new wave of designers is carving a significant niche within the international fashion landscape. Among these emerging talents, DOAN Atelier stands out for its profound commitment to honoring ancestral traditions while boldly charting a course for the future. Their critically acclaimed collection, Nàng Gấm—meaning Folklore of the Silk Lady—is a testament to this philosophy, intricately weaving narratives of generational heritage into every thread. The collection not only celebrates the enduring beauty and strength of Vietnamese women throughout history but also reframes the concept of labor through a lens of inherent regality.
Jennie (Gia Linh) Doan, a graduate of Seneca Polytechnic’s Fashion Arts program, unveiled her final collection last spring, presenting a series of innovative and striking designs that authentically uphold Vietnamese cultural traditions. The profound impact of her work was swiftly recognized, earning Jennie a prestigious nomination for the Fashion Design Student Award at the recent Canada Arts and Fashion Awards. This recognition underscores the growing momentum of Vietnamese designers on the global stage, a trend that has seen a marked acceleration in recent years, fueled by digital platforms and increased international collaboration.
EnVi had the opportunity to connect with the sibling duo behind DOAN Atelier, Jennie and Austin Doan, via Zoom. Their conversation offered a deep dive into their shared roots, the genesis of their brand, and the rich lore that breathes life into the Nàng Gấm collection. This exchange illuminated not only their creative process but also their personal journeys and the cultural tapestry that informs their design ethos.
The Siblings Behind the Seams: A Legacy of Artistry
The collaborative spirit of Jennie and Austin Doan is deeply rooted in their familial heritage and their own intertwined journeys. As siblings and creative partners, their professional relationship flows seamlessly from a lifelong bond. Jennie, the visionary designer, meticulously articulates and constructs each garment, imbuing it with her unique artistic sensibility. Austin, serving as the creative director, shapes the collection’s overarching narrative through extensive research and compelling editorial direction, ensuring a cohesive and impactful presentation.
Hailing from Vietnam, the siblings were immersed from a young age in a family environment steeped in the arts, boasting three generations of accomplished musicians and dancers. Jennie herself has a background in ballet, while Austin honed his skills in traditional music. Their move to Toronto for their studies marked a pivotal moment, inspiring them to explore new avenues within the artistic realm. Austin broadened his creative scope to encompass visual mediums, venturing into music video production, short films, and documentaries. Concurrently, Jennie discovered her profound calling in the world of fashion design.
"We’ve always been so fascinated with fashion, and I think it makes sense because we’re both in the arts," Austin shared. "We’re both performers ourselves, and so we have that kind of connection to costume design."
Jennie’s years spent in dance rehearsals, witnessing the allure of elaborate costumes and appreciating the intricate craftsmanship behind theatrical productions, revealed a powerful synergy between stage costuming and haute couture. In dance, where the body and movement serve as the primary language, costume structure plays a crucial role in enhancing expression. Jennie skillfully translates this understanding into her designs, believing that the way a garment moves and is perceived is fundamental to its essence, forming the very core of DOAN Atelier’s design philosophy. "Garments have to move a certain way and be seen a certain way," she explained.
Weaving Folklore into Fabric: The Inspiration Behind Nàng Gấm
Drawing from a rich tapestry of classical art forms and a generational inheritance of craft, Jennie and Austin turned their gaze towards traditional Vietnamese arts, beginning with the age-old stories that resonated deeply with their upbringing. The collection’s title, Folklore of the Silk Lady, directly references the legends, myths, and tales that shaped their childhood. Jennie found particular inspiration in the histories of Vietnamese heroines, from the formidable Trưng sisters of the 1st century, who led significant rebellions against Han Chinese rule, to resilient maidens in fairytales such as Tấm and Cám, often referred to as the Vietnamese Cinderella. These narratives, coupled with personal anecdotes shared by her grandparents and parents about their past and life experiences, fueled Jennie’s desire to pay homage to the keepers of folklore: the women who are the conduits of history.
"I wanted to dive deeper into how women dressed in the past and what they normally wore," Jennie stated. "I was inspired by áo dài, our traditional costume, áo yếm, and áo bà ba." Her research delved into the evolution of Vietnamese garments, exploring regional variations and historical transformations.
The development of the collection involved extensive research into the history of Vietnamese womenswear, spearheaded by Austin, whose background in documentary filmmaking proved invaluable. A significant challenge, as Jennie noted, was maintaining historical accuracy while simultaneously allowing for creative interpretation. This delicate balance is a hallmark of their design process, ensuring that tradition is honored without being rigidly replicated.
Silk, Vietnam’s most iconic and traditionally significant fabric, takes center stage as the pivotal element in Nàng Gấm. The collection prominently features gấm (heavy silk) and lụa (mulberry silk), fabrics that carry centuries of cultural and economic importance. "When she first pitched this idea, it very much felt like a love letter to silk," Austin remarked. "It not only felt like a love letter to the fabric itself but to Vietnamese women." This profound reverence for both material and muse is palpable in every piece of the collection, where traditional Vietnamese attire is reimagined through a contemporary, editorial lens, breathing new life into timeless silhouettes.
Unraveling the Lore: Class, Labor, and Femininity in Nàng Gấm
At its conceptual heart, Nàng Gấm explores the intricate interplay of class distinctions, the dignity of labor, and the multifaceted expressions of femininity within Vietnamese society. The collection’s striking color palette is characterized by a deliberate duality of black and yellow, symbolizing the working class and nobility, respectively. Historically, black was the practical choice for rural laborers, its darker hue effectively concealing dirt from agricultural work. In contrast, the upper echelons of society favored vibrant yellows, a color signifying wealth, affluence, and authority. Moreover, the privileged classes alone possessed the means to adorn themselves in silk, a luxurious fabric that was a clear indicator of their elevated social and economic standing.
The collection meticulously incorporates a diverse array of iconic garments and accessories from Vietnamese heritage, representing various social classes, geographical regions, and ceremonial occasions. This ranges from the formal elegance of the áo dài to more utilitarian silhouettes like the áo yếm, a halterneck undergarment, and the áo bà ba, a long-sleeved blouse and pant ensemble traditionally associated with women in the rural Mekong Delta.
Looks 2 and 5 serve as prime examples of this nuanced approach, reinterpreting these traditional garments with a distinctly modern aesthetic while preserving the timeless, rustic, and intimate beauty characteristic of Vietnamese women. Notably, Look 5 garnered international attention when it was featured in the music video for Lady Gaga and Doechii’s song "RUNWAY." This ensemble, featuring a skirt adorned with a lotus-leaf pattern that flares like a blooming lotus, masterfully integrates profound cultural imagery into a high-fashion context. The motif of Vietnamese femininity and resilience aligns powerfully with the song’s theme of self-assurance and confidence.
Beyond clothing, Nàng Gấm thoughtfully reimagines traditional accessories. These include the khăn mỏ quạ, a square headscarf favored by rural working women; the nón ba tầm, a flat palm hat traditionally worn by middle to upper-class Northerners; the mấn (or khăn đống), a ceremonial wedding headdress; and kiềng, intricate silver or gold necklaces often passed down as cherished heirlooms. The deliberate inclusion of attire from different regions of Vietnam underscores the diversity of labor and the profound influence of geography, occupation, and daily life on sartorial choices. Nàng Gấm masterfully merges the utilitarian design principles of workwear with the regal silhouettes of ceremonial garb, seamlessly integrating these seemingly disparate elements into contemporary couture compositions.
This striking contrast is particularly evident in Look 1. The voluminous robe draws inspiration from the áo tấc, a traditional rain cloak constructed from layered palm leaves, and the áo long bào, a gold, dragon-emblazoned robe historically reserved for emperors. By intentionally juxtaposing garments from such divergent origins, the design speaks to the multifaceted nature of Vietnamese identity and history.
Look 3’s skirt silhouette evokes the form of nơm bắt cá (fish trapping baskets), while cascading yellow silk fringes resemble flowing grains of rice. This imagery powerfully conjures the generations of agricultural labor and sustenance that have sustained Vietnamese communities.
Look 4 pays homage to the ethnic minority communities residing in Vietnam’s mountainous regions. Its dramatic, asymmetrical shoulder piece is a direct emulation of rolling hills and towering peaks. Carved wave-like motifs across the garment allude to the undulating movement of ruộng bậc thang (terraced rice fields). Worn over a backless áo yếm-inspired dress featuring a daring leg slit, and crowned with a wide-brimmed nón ba tầm that artfully veils the eyes, this ensemble exudes confidence and allure, capturing the quiet resilience inherent in Vietnamese women.
From Vision to Garment: The Labor of Love
Look 4 also holds a special significance as the genesis of the Nàng Gấm collection—the initial sketch from which the entire collection began to take shape. This design was the first to be brought to life from Jennie’s original concept, with the initial sketch meticulously preserved throughout its execution.
The construction of this intricate piece proved to be a significant learning curve, with Jennie candidly acknowledging the challenges of working with silk. The limited supply of material further amplified the importance of 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 collaborative effort, supported by family, local businesses, and artisans, exemplifies a profound "it takes a village" approach, reinforcing the collection’s unwavering commitment to Vietnamese authenticity and craftsmanship.
During the interview, Jennie showcased a piece of test fabric that she had experimented on to create the distinctive grooved slashes in the shoulder piece of Look 4. The characteristic yellow silk peeked through beneath black canvas, adorned with intricate lines of embroidery, each slit and threaded pattern meticulously executed by hand. Jennie shared that she had deconstructed an áo dài gifted to her by her mother, meticulously studying its layers, seams, and structural integrity to gain a deeper understanding of its construction.
The painstaking level of detail invested in each piece authentically embodies the thematic proverb of Nàng Gấm: khó nhọc, sống sau, which translates literally to "suffer first, ease later," a Vietnamese equivalent of "no pain, no gain." This adage, deeply ingrained in Jennie and Austin by their parents, resonated particularly strongly with Jennie as she painstakingly assembled each garment.
This philosophy of discipline and meticulous care is mirrored in Jennie’s approach to design. "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 emphasized the critical 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 unwavering care that are 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’s Global Resonance: A New Chapter for Vietnamese Fashion
The unveiling of Nàng Gấm marks not just an artistic achievement but also the beginning of a significant new chapter for DOAN Atelier. Jennie and Austin are strategically focused on solidifying their presence within the fashion industry, navigating the demanding rhythms of academic pursuits, professional careers, and personal lives. Their immediate goals include further familiarizing themselves with the industry’s intricate workings, fostering connections with fellow creative minds, and diligently building their team.
Deeply inspired by the Vietnamese designers who have paved the way and their contemporary industry peers, the siblings aspire to join them in occupying prominent spaces on the global stage, representing a burgeoning vision of Vietnamese talent. This ambition aligns with a broader movement of cultural pride and creative expression emanating from Vietnam.
During the development and showcase of Nàng Gấm, Jennie and Austin observed a consistent reaction from many attendees impressed by the quality of the silk, often exclaiming, "Wow, is this coming from Vietnam?" Initially surprised by this sentiment, they reflected, "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 monumental role in the global fashion supply chain. However, its long-standing legacy of intricate craftsmanship has historically remained underrecognized. While recent viral social media moments featuring Hội An tailors catering to tourists have brought some attention, for many Vietnamese, the art of tailoring has always been an integral part of daily life, with tailor shops readily found on almost every corner.
When asked about their aspirations for how both Vietnamese and international audiences will perceive their future work, Austin shared with EnVi: "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 continue to develop their future bodies of work, DOAN Atelier remains committed to building upon the foundational principles established by Nàng Gấm, translating heritage into modern reimagining. The brand steadfastly aims to position Vietnam not merely as a hub for production but as a vanguard of emerging creative talent, deeply rooted in rich craftsmanship, cultural memory, and innovation.
At the very core of DOAN Atelier lies an enduring tribute to Vietnamese women, encompassing generations past and present, whose unwavering strength, profound resilience, and diligent labor continue to shape the very fabric of each meticulously crafted piece. Their journey is a testament to the power of heritage, artistry, and the enduring spirit of Vietnamese creativity on the global stage.
To stay abreast of DOAN Atelier’s latest creations and developments, follow them on their official Instagram page.