The Folklore of the Silk Lady: DOAN Atelier Weaves History and Future into Vietnamese Fashion
In an era of burgeoning global recognition for Vietnamese creative talent, a new vanguard of designers is meticulously carving their niche within the international fashion landscape. Among them, DOAN Atelier stands out, a brand whose very ethos is woven from the threads of history and the aspirations of the future. Their collection, "Nàng Gấm," or "Folklore of the Silk Lady," is a profound exploration of traditional Vietnamese heritage, celebrating the enduring beauty and strength of Vietnamese women through the ages, reimagined with a vision that imbues labor with a sense of regality.
Jennie (Gia Linh) Doan, a distinguished graduate of Seneca Polytechnic’s Fashion Arts program, unveiled her final collection last spring. The presentation featured a series of innovative and boldly conceived looks that not only showcased her design prowess but also served as a powerful testament to her Vietnamese roots and the preservation of cultural traditions. This impressive graduate collection garnered Jennie significant acclaim, culminating in a nomination for the prestigious Fashion Design Student Award at the recent Canada Arts and Fashion Awards. The Canada Arts and Fashion Awards, established to recognize and celebrate excellence in the Canadian fashion industry, typically draws a highly competitive pool of nominees, making Jennie’s recognition a notable achievement for emerging talent.
EnVi had the exclusive opportunity to connect with the creative minds behind DOAN Atelier, sibling duo Jennie and Austin Doan, via Zoom. Their conversation offered an intimate glimpse into their journey, the genesis of their brand, and the rich lore that underpins the "Nàng Gấm" collection. This interview provided a crucial platform to understand the personal narratives and cultural inspirations that fuel their design philosophy.
The Sibling Synergy: Duo Behind DOAN Atelier
As siblings and collaborators, Jennie and Austin Doan’s relationship forms the bedrock of their creative partnership. Jennie, the visionary designer, meticulously articulates and constructs each garment, bringing her artistic concepts to life through fabric and form. Austin, serving as the creative director, imbues the collection with a layered depth through extensive research and the evocative direction of editorial photoshoots. Their distinct yet complementary roles ensure a cohesive and compelling artistic output.
Hailing from Vietnam, the siblings are the inheritors of a rich artistic legacy, with a family lineage spanning three generations of musicians and dancers. Jennie’s early life was immersed in ballet, while Austin honed his skills in traditional music. Their relocation to Toronto for their studies marked a pivotal moment, prompting them to explore new artistic frontiers. Austin expanded his creative repertoire to encompass visual mediums, producing music videos, short films, and documentaries, while Jennie discovered her calling in the intricate world of fashion design.
"We’ve always been so fascinated with fashion," Austin shared, "and I think it makes sense because we’re both in the arts. We’re both performers ourselves, and so we have that kind of connection to costume design." This shared background in performance art deeply influences their approach to fashion, where garments are not merely static objects but dynamic elements that interact with the body and its movement.
Jennie’s extensive experience with dance rehearsals provided her with a unique perspective on the interplay between theatrical costuming and haute couture. The emphasis on structure and silhouette in dance costumes, designed to accentuate movement and form, directly translates into Jennie’s design principles. "Garments have to move a certain way and be seen a certain way," she explained, highlighting her belief that the structural integrity and dynamic potential of a garment are paramount to its aesthetic and conceptual value. This philosophy forms the core of DOAN Atelier’s design language, where each piece is conceived with an understanding of how it will drape, flow, and interact with the wearer.
Unearthing Heritage: The Lore Behind Nàng Gấm
Drawing from their family’s deep immersion in classical art forms and the generational transmission of craft, Jennie and Austin delved into the heart of traditional Vietnamese arts, beginning with the timeless stories that shaped their upbringing. The collection’s title, "Folklore of the Silk Lady," directly references the legends, myths, and tales that were a constant presence in their childhood. 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 resilient maidens depicted in fairytales like "Tấm and Cám," often referred to as the Vietnamese Cinderella. Alongside these historical and mythical figures, Jennie also incorporated personal stories and anecdotes shared by her grandparents and parents about their lives and heritage. This multifaceted approach pays homage to the women who have historically served as custodians of folklore, ensuring the continuity of cultural memory.
"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 meticulously explored the evolution of Vietnamese garments, examining regional variations and the historical shifts in styles. This in-depth study, often undertaken with Austin’s documentary filmmaking experience lending a structured research methodology, was crucial in maintaining historical authenticity while allowing for creative reinterpretation. A significant challenge, Jennie noted, was balancing this fidelity to the past with the imperative for contemporary design innovation.
Silk, Vietnam’s most historically significant and abundantly produced fabric, takes center stage in "Nàng Gấm." The collection prominently features "gấm" (heavy silk) and "lụa" (mulberry silk), fabrics intrinsically linked to Vietnamese textile heritage. "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 the material and its cultural significance is palpable in every creation within the collection, where traditional Vietnamese attire is reimagined through a contemporary, editorial lens.
The Tapestry of Tradition: Weaving Class, Labor, and Femininity
At its conceptual core, "Nàng Gấm" intricately explores the historical interplay of class, labor, and femininity in Vietnamese society. The collection’s striking color palette deliberately employs a duality of black and yellow. Black, historically associated with the working class, was often worn by rural laborers due to its practicality in concealing dirt during agricultural work. Conversely, vibrant yellows were the preserve of the upper classes, symbolizing wealth, affluence, and authority. This chromatic division underscores the socioeconomic disparities that shaped Vietnamese history and fashion. Furthermore, the privilege of wearing silk was historically reserved for those of higher social and economic standing, reinforcing the fabric’s association with nobility.
The collection thoughtfully integrates iconic garments and elements from Vietnamese heritage, spanning diverse social strata, geographical regions, and ceremonial occasions. It moves seamlessly from the elegant "áo dài," a symbol of national identity, to more everyday silhouettes like 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, for instance, masterfully embody this thematic balance, reinterpreting these traditional garments with a modern sensibility while preserving their timeless, rustic, and intimate beauty. Notably, Look 5 achieved international recognition when it was featured in the music video for Lady Gaga and Doechii’s song "RUNWAY." This particular ensemble, characterized by a lotus-leaf patterned skirt that unfurls like a blooming lotus, elegantly merges profound cultural imagery with high-fashion aesthetics. It artfully aligns the motif of Vietnamese femininity and resilience with the song’s empowering theme of self-confidence.
Beyond garments, the collection also reimagines traditional accessories. These include 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 through generations as a cherished heirloom. The inclusion of attire and accessories from various regions of Vietnam serves to highlight the diversity of labor and how dress is intrinsically shaped by place, occupation, and daily life. "Nàng Gấm" thus synthesizes the utilitarian design of workwear with the regal silhouettes of ceremonial garb, weaving them into contemporary couture compositions.
This deliberate juxtaposition is powerfully exemplified in Look 1. The long robe draws inspiration from the "áo tơi," a rain cloak traditionally fashioned from layered palm leaves, and the "áo long bào," a gold robe emblazoned with dragon motifs, historically reserved for emperors. By intentionally marrying these garments from vastly different origins, Jennie creates a dialogue between the practical and the ceremonial, the humble and the opulent.
The silhouette of the skirt in Look 3 evokes the shape 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 inhabiting Vietnam’s mountainous regions. A dramatic asymmetrical shoulder piece emulates the undulating topography of rolling hills and towering peaks. Across the garment, carved waves suggest the visual rhythm of "ruộng bậc thang" (terraced rice fields). Worn over a backless "áo yếm"-inspired dress featuring a bold leg slit, and complemented by a wide-brimmed "nón ba tầm" that artfully drapes over the eyes, this ensemble projects an aura of confidence and allure, capturing the quiet resilience characteristic of Vietnamese women.
From Vision to Fabric: The Craftsmanship of DOAN Atelier
Look 4 holds a special significance as it represents the genesis of the "Nàng Gấm" collection. It was the initial sketch from which the entire collection began to take shape, and the design was meticulously executed while preserving the integrity of Jennie’s original concept. The construction of this piece presented a significant learning curve, particularly concerning the handling of silk, a material known for its delicate nature and intricate requirements. Jennie’s commitment to authenticity extended to sourcing all silks and fabrics for the collection directly from Vietnam, underscoring her dedication to supporting Vietnamese artisans and industries.
The development process was a true family affair. Jennie and Austin’s parents actively participated, sourcing 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, embodies the spirit of "it takes a village," reinforcing the collection’s deep-seated commitment to Vietnamese authenticity and craftsmanship.
During the interview, Jennie demonstrated a piece of test fabric she experimented on to achieve the distinctive grooved slashes on the shoulder piece of Look 4. The characteristic yellow silk peeks from beneath the black canvas, interspersed with intricate lines of embroidery, each slit and threaded pattern meticulously executed by hand. Jennie shared that she had carefully deconstructed an "áo dài" sent by her mother, studying its layers, seams, and construction techniques to gain a deeper understanding of traditional garment assembly.
The painstaking attention to detail evident in each piece resonates with the collection’s thematic proverb: "khó nhọc, sống sau," which translates literally to "suffer first, ease later," akin to the English idiom "no pain, no gain." This philosophy, deeply ingrained in Jennie and Austin by their parents, was particularly felt by Jennie throughout the arduous process of constructing each garment.
This ethos of discipline and meticulous care is mirrored in Jennie’s overarching 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." Her approach emphasizes intentionality, ensuring that every element of a garment contributes to its narrative and aesthetic.
Incorporating agricultural motifs throughout the collection, Jennie underscored the importance of manual labor in "harvesting the fruit" of her creative endeavors. Much like the fishermen, rice harvesters, weavers, and countless hardworking Vietnamese individuals throughout history, the intensive labor and unwavering care invested in the creation of "Nàng Gấm" are essential for preserving delicate beauty. Through the process of developing this collection, Jennie cultivated 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 Fashion
The unveiling of "Nàng Gấm" marks a significant beginning for DOAN Atelier, as Jennie and Austin navigate the demanding pace of school, work, and life while striving to establish their presence in the competitive fashion industry. The siblings are actively seeking opportunities to further immerse themselves in the industry, forge connections with fellow creatives, and build a robust team.
Deeply inspired by the pioneering Vietnamese designers who paved the way and their contemporary peers, Jennie and Austin aspire to join them in occupying a prominent space on the global stage, representing a burgeoning vision of Vietnamese talent. Their ambition is not merely to showcase their designs but to elevate the perception of Vietnamese creativity on an international scale.
During the development and presentation of "Nàng Gấm," Jennie and Austin observed a recurring sentiment from those impressed by the quality of the silk: "Wow, is this coming from Vietnam?" Initially surprised by this reaction, 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." This observation highlights a critical disconnect between Vietnam’s significant role in the global textile supply chain and the underrecognition of its rich legacy of craftsmanship. While recent viral trends have brought attention to the skilled tailoring of Hoi An to international tourists, for many Vietnamese, the art of tailoring has long been an integral part of daily life, with tailor shops ubiquitous across the country.
When asked about their aspirations for how both Vietnamese and international audiences will perceive their future work, Austin articulated, "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." This statement encapsulates a powerful message of pride, capability, and cultural assertion.
As Jennie and Austin Doan continue to develop their future collections, DOAN Atelier remains committed to building upon the strong foundation laid by "Nàng Gấm," consistently translating heritage into modern reimagining. The brand’s trajectory is set on positioning Vietnam not merely as a hub of production but as a leading force of emerging creative talent, a nation rich in craftsmanship, cultural memory, and innovation.
At the very heart of DOAN Atelier lies an enduring tribute to Vietnamese women, past and present, whose strength, resilience, and labor continue to shape the very fabric of each meticulously crafted piece. Their legacy is woven into the narrative of the brand, serving as a constant source of inspiration and a testament to their profound impact.
