The Folklore of the Silk Lady: DOAN Atelier Weaves History and Modernity into a Celebratory Fashion Narrative
In an era marked by a burgeoning global appreciation for Vietnamese creative talent, a new generation of designers is making significant inroads into the international fashion landscape. Among them, DOAN Atelier stands out, a brand intricately weaving the threads of history with a forward-looking vision. Their latest collection, Nàng Gấm, translated as Folklore of the Silk Lady, is a profound exploration of Vietnamese traditions passed down through generations. This collection not only celebrates the enduring beauty and strength of Vietnamese women across history but also presents a compelling vision of the "regality of labor," acknowledging the dignity and artistry inherent in work.
Jennie (Gia Linh) Doan, a graduate of Seneca Polytechnic’s Fashion Arts program, unveiled her thesis collection last spring. Her innovative and bold designs, deeply rooted in Vietnamese tradition, garnered significant attention. This collection earned Jennie a prestigious nomination for the Fashion Design Student Award at the recent Canada Arts and Fashion Awards, a testament to her exceptional talent and the collection’s impact.
EnVi sat down with the sibling duo behind DOAN Atelier, Jennie and Austin Doan, via Zoom, to delve into their shared heritage, the genesis of their brand, and the rich lore that informs Nàng Gấm. Their conversation offered a unique window into a design philosophy that bridges cultural legacy with contemporary aesthetics.
The Sibling Architects of DOAN Atelier
The creative partnership between Jennie and Austin Doan is a natural extension of their sibling bond. Jennie, the visionary designer, meticulously articulates and constructs each garment, bringing her artistic concepts to life. Austin, serving as the creative director, shapes the overall narrative of the collection through extensive research and impactful editorial photoshoots.
Hailing from Vietnam, the siblings are products of a family deeply embedded in the arts, with three generations of musicians and dancers shaping their upbringing. Jennie’s background in ballet and Austin’s studies in traditional music provided them with a foundational understanding of performance, rhythm, and visual storytelling. Upon relocating to Toronto for their studies, they sought to forge new artistic paths. Austin expanded his creative scope to encompass visual mediums, producing music videos, short films, and documentaries, while Jennie found her calling in the realm of fashion.
"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 inherent understanding of how garments interact with the body and enhance performance proved to be a crucial influence.
For Jennie, years of dance rehearsals exposed her to the grandeur of theatrical costumes and the intricate craftsmanship behind stage productions. She recognized a profound overlap between theatrical costuming and haute couture. In dance, where movement and the body are primary languages, costume structure is paramount. Jennie applies this principle to her designs, believing it to be the foundational element of DOAN Atelier’s aesthetic: "Garments have to move a certain way and be seen a certain way."
Roots and Reverence: The Genesis of Nàng Gấm
Drawing from a rich family legacy in classical art forms and the generational inheritance of craft, Jennie and Austin turned their gaze towards traditional Vietnamese arts, beginning with the stories that had shaped their childhood. 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 histories of Vietnamese heroines, from the formidable Trưng sisters, 1st-century military commanders who led significant rebellions against Chinese rule, to resilient maidens in fairytales like Tấm và Cám, often dubbed the Vietnamese Cinderella. These narratives, alongside personal anecdotes shared by her grandparents and parents about their lives and upbringings, fueled Jennie’s desire to pay tribute to the women who act as keepers of folklore and carry histories forward.
"I wanted to dive deeper into how women dressed in the past and what they normally wore," Jennie explained. "I was inspired by áo dài, our traditional costume, áo yếm, and áo bà ba." Her research delved into the nuances of Vietnamese garments, their regional variations, and their evolution over time. This deep dive into historical sartorial practices formed the bedrock of the collection.
The extensive research into the evolution of Vietnamese womenswear was a collaborative effort, with Austin leveraging his experience in documentary filmmaking to guide the process. Jennie noted that a significant challenge lay in maintaining historical accuracy while allowing for creative reinterpretation. This delicate balance is crucial in honoring tradition without stifling innovation.
Silk, Vietnam’s most historically significant and widely produced fabric, emerges as the central character in Nàng Gấm. The collection prominently features gấm (heavy silk) and lụa (mulberry silk), fabrics that evoke a sense of luxury and 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 material and muse is palpable in every piece of the collection, which reimagines traditional Vietnamese attire through a contemporary, editorial lens.
Unveiling the Lore Behind Nàng Gấm
At its heart, Nàng Gấm explores the intricate interplay of class, labor, and femininity within Vietnamese society. The collection’s striking color palette is deliberately dualistic, employing black and yellow to represent the working class and nobility, respectively. Black, historically worn by rural laborers, was chosen for its practicality in disguising dirt during agricultural work. Conversely, vibrant yellows were favored by the upper classes, symbolizing wealth, affluence, and authority. This distinction extended to the privilege of wearing silk, a luxurious fabric accessible only to those of a higher social and economic standing.
The collection showcases a diverse array of iconic garments and elements from Vietnamese heritage, reflecting different social classes, regions, and occasions. It transitions from the formal elegance of the áo dài to more everyday silhouettes like the áo yếm, a halterneck undergarment, and the áo bà ba, a long-sleeved blouse and pant set associated with women in the Mekong Delta.
Looks 2 and 5, for instance, embody this thematic balance, reinterpreting traditional garments with a modern sensibility while preserving the timeless, rustic, and intimate beauty of Vietnamese womanhood. Notably, Look 5, featuring a skirt with a lotus-leaf pattern that flares like a blooming lotus, was featured in Lady Gaga and Doechii’s music video for "RUNWAY." This piece masterfully embeds deep cultural imagery into a high-fashion context, aligning the motif of Vietnamese femininity and resilience with the song’s theme of confidence.
Beyond garments, reimagined accessories further enrich the narrative. The collection includes khăn mỏ quạ, a square headscarf worn by rural working women; nón ba tầm, a flat palm hat favored by middle to upper-class Northerners; mấn (or khăn đội), a ceremonial wedding headdress; and kiềng, a silver or gold necklace often passed down as a cherished heirloom.
The 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 seamlessly integrates the utilitarian design of workwear with the regal silhouettes of ceremonial garb, interweaving these distinct elements into contemporary couture compositions.
This juxtaposition is strikingly evident in Look 1, a long robe that draws inspiration from áo tơi, a rain cloak fashioned from layered palm leaves, and áo long bào, a gold, dragon-emblazoned robe traditionally reserved for emperors. By intentionally marrying garments from such disparate origins, DOAN Atelier creates a powerful dialogue between the humble and the imperial.
Look 3’s skirt silhouette mirrors that of nơm bắt cá (fish trapping baskets), while cascading yellow silk fringes evoke flowing grains of rice. This imagery powerfully symbolizes the generations of agricultural labor and the sustenance it provided.
Look 4 pays homage to the ethnic minority communities inhabiting Vietnam’s mountainous regions. A dramatic asymmetrical shoulder piece emulates rolling hills and towering peaks, while carved waves suggest the movement of ruộng bậc thang (terraced rice fields). Worn over a backless áo yếm-inspired dress with a bold leg slit and a wide-brimmed nón ba tầm that partially veils the eyes, this look exudes confidence and allure, capturing the quiet resilience of Vietnamese women.
From Sketch to Silhouette: The Craftsmanship of Nàng Gấm
Look 4 holds a special significance as it marks the inception of Nàng Gấm – the initial sketch from which the entire collection evolved. This design remained true to Jennie’s original vision throughout its execution.
The construction of this piece presented a significant learning curve, particularly concerning the handling of silk. Jennie was also committed to sourcing all silks and fabrics for the collection exclusively from Vietnam, working with limited material supplies. 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 "it takes a village" approach, bolstered by the support of family, local businesses, and artisans, reinforces the collection’s unwavering commitment to Vietnamese authenticity and craftsmanship.
During the interview, Jennie demonstrated a piece of test fabric she had experimented with to achieve the grooved slashes on the shoulder piece of Look 4. The signature yellow silk peeked from beneath black canvas, adorned with intricate lines of embroidery, each slit and threaded pattern meticulously executed by hand. Jennie shared that she had dissected an áo dài sent by her mother, studying its layers, seams, and structure to gain a deeper understanding of its construction.
The painstaking level of detail invested in each piece embodies the thematic proverb of Nàng Gấm: khó nhọc, sống sau, which translates literally to "suffer first, ease later," akin to the English saying "no pain, no gain." This philosophy, deeply ingrained by Jennie and Austin’s parents, resonated profoundly with Jennie throughout the assembly of each garment.
This ethos of discipline and meticulous 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, Jennie emphasized the importance of hand labor in "harvesting the fruit" of her work. Much like the fishermen, rice harvesters, weavers, and countless hardworking Vietnamese individuals, this intensive labor and care 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 invaluable contributions to preserving cultural and material traditions.
Nàng Gấm in the Global Arena
The development and showcase of Nàng Gấm represent a significant milestone for DOAN Atelier, a promising start as Jennie and Austin navigate the fast-paced fashion industry while balancing school and work. The duo is focused on further familiarizing themselves with the industry, forging connections with fellow creatives, and building their team.
Deeply inspired by the Vietnamese designers who have paved the way and their contemporary peers, the siblings aspire to join them in occupying a prominent space on the global stage, representing a flourishing vision of Vietnamese talent.
During the development and presentation of Nàng Gấm, Jennie and Austin observed a consistent reaction from attendees impressed by the quality of the silk: "Wow, is this coming from Vietnam?" They expressed initial surprise at this sentiment, noting, "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 legacy of craftsmanship remains largely underrecognized. While Vietnamese tailors have recently gained viral attention on social media among tourists in places like Hội An, tailoring culture has always been an integral part of daily life for Vietnamese people, with shops discreetly located in every neighborhood.
Reflecting on their aspirations for both Vietnamese and international audiences, 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 embark on their future creative endeavors, DOAN Atelier continues to build upon the foundational principles of Nàng Gấm, translating heritage into modern interpretations. The brand is dedicated to positioning Vietnam not merely as a hub of production but as a leading force of emerging creative talent, 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.
