The Folklore of the Silk Lady: DOAN Atelier Weaves History and Modernity into a Celebrated Collection
In an era marked by the burgeoning global recognition of Vietnamese creative talent, a new cohort of designers is meticulously carving out their niche within the international fashion landscape. Among them, DOAN Atelier stands as a beacon, deeply embedding the honoring of history and the forging of the future into the very fabric of its collections. The latest testament to this ethos is Nàng Gấm, or Folklore of the Silk Lady, a collection that draws profound inspiration from traditions passed down through generations. This meticulously crafted line is a vibrant celebration of the enduring beauty and strength of Vietnamese women throughout history, reimagined through a lens that imbues labor with a profound sense of regality.
Jennie (Gia Linh) Doan, a distinguished graduate of Seneca Polytechnic’s Fashion Arts program, unveiled her capstone collection last spring. The presentation was a striking display of innovative and bold designs that not only pushed creative boundaries but also served as a powerful affirmation of Vietnamese heritage. This remarkable collection garnered Jennie significant acclaim, culminating in a nomination for the prestigious Fashion Design Student Award at the recent Canada Arts and Fashion Awards. This recognition underscores the growing impact of emerging Vietnamese designers on the global stage.
A candid conversation with EnVi over Zoom offered an intimate glimpse into the minds of the sibling duo behind DOAN Atelier: Jennie and Austin Doan. They shared insights into their familial roots, the genesis of their brand, and the rich tapestry of lore that underpins their celebrated Nàng Gấm collection.
The Sibling Architects of DOAN Atelier
The partnership between Jennie and Austin Doan is a natural synergy, born from their deep familial bond and shared artistic sensibilities. As siblings and creative collaborators, their relationship seamlessly translates into their professional endeavors. Jennie helms the design process, translating abstract concepts into tangible garments with her exceptional skill in articulation and construction. Austin, serving as the creative director, orchestrates the overall vision of the collection, guiding its aesthetic through meticulous research and compelling editorial photography.
Hailing from Vietnam, Jennie and Austin were immersed in a household steeped in artistic traditions, tracing back three generations of accomplished musicians and dancers. Jennie’s own background includes extensive training in ballet, while Austin honed his skills in traditional music. Upon relocating to Toronto for their higher education, both siblings felt a pull to explore new artistic avenues. Austin expanded his creative repertoire to encompass visual mediums, venturing into music video production, short films, and documentaries. Jennie, conversely, found her calling in the transformative 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 explained. "We’re both performers ourselves, and so we have that kind of connection to costume design."
Jennie’s years spent in dance rehearsals, surrounded by the dazzling spectacle of elaborate costumes and witnessing the intricate craftsmanship behind the stage, revealed a profound connection between theatrical costuming and haute couture. In dance, where movement and the human form serve as the primary language, costume structure plays a pivotal role. Jennie adeptly applies this principle to her designs, believing it to be the foundational element of DOAN Atelier’s aesthetic philosophy. "Garments have to move a certain way and be seen a certain way," she emphasized.
Weaving Tales of Heritage: The Genesis of Nàng Gấm
Drawing from a rich heritage of classical art forms and the generational inheritance of craft, Jennie and Austin delved deep into the wellspring of traditional Vietnamese arts, beginning with the timeless stories that had shaped their childhoods. The collection’s title, Folklore of the Silk Lady, is a direct homage to the legends, myths, and tales that the siblings grew up hearing. Jennie found particular inspiration in the narratives of Vietnamese heroines, from the formidable Trưng sisters, who led rebellions in the 1st century, to resilient maidens featured in fairytales like Tấm and Cám, often referred to as the Vietnamese Cinderella. Intertwined with the personal histories and anecdotes shared by her grandparents and parents about their past and upbringing, Jennie’s research became a quest to pay tribute to the custodians of folklore: the women who act as living conduits for history.
"I wanted to dive deeper into how women dressed in the past and what they normally wore," Jennie articulated. "I got inspired by áo dài, our traditional costume, áo yếm, and áo bà ba." Her exploration extended to a comprehensive study of Vietnamese garments, examining regional variations and their evolution across different eras.
Austin, leveraging his experience in documentary filmmaking, spearheaded the extensive research into the historical evolution of Vietnamese womenswear. A primary challenge, as Jennie noted, was maintaining a delicate balance between historical accuracy and allowing for creative interpretation.
Silk, Vietnam’s most significant and traditional fabric, takes center stage as the defining material of Nàng Gấm, with particular emphasis on gấm (heavy silk) and lụa (mulberry silk). "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 muses is palpable in every piece within the Nàng Gấm collection, which artfully reworks traditional Vietnamese attire through a contemporary, editorial sensibility.
The Unfolding Narrative: Lore and Symbolism in Nàng Gấm
At its conceptual core, Nàng Gấm explores the intricate interplay of class, labor, and femininity. The collection’s striking color palette is intentionally dualistic, juxtaposing black and yellow. Black symbolizes the working class, historically worn by rural laborers due to its resistance to dirt during agricultural work. Conversely, vibrant yellows were the domain of the upper classes, signifying wealth, affluence, and authority. This dichotomy also reflects the societal privilege associated with wearing silk, a luxurious fabric accessible only to those of a certain social and economic standing.
The collection thoughtfully incorporates iconic elements and garments representative of various social classes, regions, and occasions across Vietnamese heritage. 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, for instance, epitomize this sartorial balance, reinterpreting traditional garments with a modern sensibility while preserving the timeless, rustic, and intimate beauty characteristic of Vietnamese women. 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, with its lotus-leaf patterned skirt that flares like a blooming lotus, artfully embeds deep cultural imagery within a high-fashion context, aligning the motif of Vietnamese femininity and resilience with the song’s powerful theme of self-confidence.
Beyond full garments, DOAN Atelier reimagined a range of accessories, including the khăn mỏ quạ, a square headscarf traditionally 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 kiềng, ornate silver or gold necklaces often passed down as cherished heirlooms. The strategic inclusion of attire from diverse regions of Vietnam underscores the multifaceted nature of labor and how dress is intrinsically shaped by geography, occupation, and daily life. Nàng Gấm masterfully juxtaposes the utilitarian design of workwear with the regal silhouettes of ceremonial garb, weaving them together into contemporary couture compositions.
This striking contrast is particularly evident in Look 1. The elongated robe draws inspiration from the áo tấc, a rain cloak crafted from layered palm leaves, and the áo long bào, a golden, dragon-emblazoned robe historically reserved for emperors. This intentional fusion of garments from vastly different origins creates a powerful visual dialogue.
Further enhancing the collection’s narrative, Look 3 features a skirt whose silhouette echoes the form of nơm bắt cá (fish trapping baskets), while cascading yellow silk fringes evoke flowing grains of rice. This imagery powerfully symbolizes generations of agricultural labor and the sustenance it provides.
Look 4 pays homage to the ethnic minority communities residing in Vietnam’s mountainous regions. Its dramatic, asymmetrical shoulder piece is designed to emulate the contours of rolling hills and towering peaks. Across the garment, carved waves represent the breathtaking movement of ruộng bậc thang (terraced rice fields). Worn over a backless áo yếm-inspired dress with a daring leg slit, and crowned with a wide-brimmed nón ba tầm that artfully veils the eyes, this look exudes confidence and allure, capturing the quiet yet profound resilience of Vietnamese women.
From Conception to Couture: The Art of Creation
Look 4 also holds a special significance as it marked the initial spark of inspiration for the Nàng Gấm collection. It was the very first sketch to emerge from Jennie’s creative vision, and remarkably, this initial sketch was preserved in its original form throughout the meticulous process of its execution.
The construction of this piece proved to be a significant learning curve, with Jennie candidly admitting the challenges of working with silk. Compounding this was the constraint of a finite supply of material, making it imperative to source all silks and fabrics for the collection directly from Vietnam. The Doan siblings’ family played an instrumental role in the collection’s development; their parents diligently sourced the necessary textiles from local markets and artisans in Vietnam before facilitating their shipment to Canada. This collaborative effort, supported by family, local businesses, and artisans, embodies a true "it takes a village" ethos, reinforcing the collection’s unwavering commitment to Vietnamese authenticity and craftsmanship.
During the interview, Jennie shared a piece of test fabric she had experimented on to achieve the distinctive grooved slashes in the shoulder piece of Look 4. The trademark yellow silk subtly peeked from beneath layers of black canvas, interwoven with intricate embroidery – each slit and threaded pattern meticulously executed by hand. Jennie revealed that she had painstakingly dissected an áo dài gifted by her mother, meticulously studying its layers, seams, and structural intricacies to gain a deeper understanding of its assembly.
The painstaking level of detail infused into each garment embodies the thematic proverb central to Nàng Gấm: khó nhọc, sống sau, which translates literally to "suffer first, ease later," the Vietnamese equivalent of "no pain, no gain." This adage, deeply ingrained in Jennie and Austin by their parents, resonated profoundly with Jennie throughout the arduous process of assembling each piece.
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 within the collection, Jennie underscored the vital importance of hand labor in "harvesting the fruit" of her creative endeavors. 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 developed a profound appreciation for the labor of Vietnamese women throughout history and their indispensable contributions to the preservation of cultural and material traditions.
Nàng Gấm on the Global Stage
The unveiling of Nàng Gấm represents just the nascent stages of DOAN Atelier’s journey. Jennie and Austin are actively working to solidify their presence within the fashion industry, navigating the demanding rhythms of academic pursuits, professional commitments, and personal lives. Their immediate focus is on deepening their understanding of the industry, fostering connections with fellow creative minds, and strategically building their team.
Deeply inspired by the preceding generations of Vietnamese designers and their contemporary peers, the siblings aspire to join their ranks on the global stage, contributing to a burgeoning vision of Vietnamese creative excellence.
During the development and showcasing of Nàng Gấm, Jennie and Austin observed a consistent theme in reactions to the collection’s exquisite silk: "Wow, is this coming from Vietnam?" They expressed initial surprise at this sentiment, noting that "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 leading exporters of textiles, Vietnam plays a pivotal role in the global fashion supply chain. However, its long-standing legacy of intricate craftsmanship remains largely unrecognized. While artisans in Hội An have recently gained viral fame on social media among tourists, for many Vietnamese people, tailoring culture has always been an integral part of daily life, with tailor shops discreetly situated on nearly every corner.
Reflecting on their aspirations for both Vietnamese and international audiences to connect with 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 evolve their creative output, DOAN Atelier remains committed to building upon the foundational principles established by Nàng Gấm, translating heritage into contemporary reimagining. The brand steadfastly positions Vietnam not merely as a hub of production, but as a vanguard of emerging creative talent, deeply rooted in rich craftsmanship, cultural memory, and relentless 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.
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