In an era witnessing a significant surge in global recognition for Vietnamese creatives, a new wave of designers is meticulously crafting their mark on the international fashion landscape. Among these emerging talents, DOAN Atelier stands out, weaving a narrative of tradition and innovation into the very fabric of their collections. Their latest offering, Nàng Gấm, translating to Folklore of the Silk Lady, is a profound exploration of Vietnamese heritage, celebrating the enduring beauty and strength of women throughout history through a vision that elevates the regality of labor.
Jennie (Gia Linh) Doan, a distinguished graduate of Seneca Polytechnic’s Fashion Arts program, unveiled her thesis collection last spring, presenting a series of bold and innovative designs that serve as a testament to her commitment to upholding Vietnamese traditions. The collection’s exceptional merit was recognized with a nomination at the recent Canada Arts and Fashion Awards for the prestigious Fashion Design Student Award, underscoring its impact and artistic significance.
EnVi had the distinct opportunity to engage in an insightful conversation with the creative forces behind DOAN Atelier, sibling duo Jennie and Austin Doan, via Zoom. Their discussion delved deeply into their personal roots, the genesis of their brand, and the rich lore that underpins the evocative Nàng Gấm collection.
The Duo Behind DOAN Atelier: A Symphony of Siblings
The collaborative spirit of Jennie and Austin Doan is a natural extension of their familial bond. As siblings and creative partners, their relationship forms the bedrock of their artistic endeavors. Jennie, the visionary designer, meticulously articulates and constructs each garment, imbuing them with her artistic intent. Austin, serving as the creative director, shapes the overall vision of the collection through comprehensive research and compelling editorial photography.
Hailing from Vietnam, the siblings are products of a family deeply entrenched in the arts, with a lineage spanning three generations of accomplished musicians and dancers. Jennie’s background in ballet and Austin’s studies in traditional music provided them with a unique foundation in performance and artistic expression. Upon their relocation to Toronto for their studies, they embarked on individual yet complementary artistic journeys. Austin expanded his creative horizons to visual mediums, venturing into the production of 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, and I think it makes sense because we’re both in the arts," Austin shared. "We’re both performers ourselves, so we have that kind of connection to costume design."
Years of dance rehearsals, surrounded by the glamour of theatrical costumes and a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship involved behind the stage, provided Jennie with a profound understanding of the parallels between theatrical costuming and haute couture. In dance, where movement and the human form serve as the primary language, costumes play a crucial role in structure and expression. Jennie masterfully applies this principle to 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.
Roots in Tradition: The Genesis of Nàng Gấm
Drawing inspiration from a family steeped in classical art forms and the generational inheritance of craft, Jennie and Austin turned their gaze towards traditional Vietnamese arts, beginning with the timeless stories that had been a part of their upbringing. The collection’s title, Folklore of the Silk Lady, is a direct homage to the legends, myths, and tales that shaped their childhood. Jennie found particular inspiration in the histories of Vietnamese heroines, from the Trung Sisters, formidable 1st-century military commanders who led significant rebellions, to the resilient maidens featured in fairytales like Tấm and Cám, often referred to as the Vietnamese Cinderella. Alongside these historical narratives, Jennie also drew from personal stories shared by her grandparents and parents about their past and upbringings, seeking to honor the custodians of folklore: the women who diligently carry histories forward.
"I wanted to dive deeper into how women dressed in the past and what they normally wore," Jennie elaborated. "I was inspired by áo dài, our traditional costume, áo yếm, and áo bà ba." She embarked on extensive research into Vietnamese garments, exploring their regional variations and their evolution over time.
The meticulous research into the evolution of Vietnamese womenswear formed a significant part of the collection’s development, with Austin leveraging his documentary filmmaking experience to guide this process. Jennie noted that a primary challenge lay in maintaining historical accuracy while simultaneously allowing for creative reinterpretation.
Silk, Vietnam’s most historically significant and widely produced fabric, takes center stage as the quintessential material in Nàng Gấm, with a particular focus 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 of Nàng Gấm, which reimagines traditional Vietnamese attire through a contemporary, editorial lens.
Unveiling the Lore: The Narrative of Nàng Gấm
At its core, Nàng Gấm intricately explores the societal tensions surrounding class, labor, and femininity. The collection’s striking color palette embodies a deliberate duality: black represents the working class, while yellow signifies nobility. Historically, black was the preferred color for rural laborers due to its practicality in concealing dirt during agricultural work. Conversely, the upper classes adorned themselves in vibrant yellows, a color symbolizing wealth, affluence, and authority. This distinction also extended to the privilege of wearing silk, a luxurious fabric accessible only to those of higher social and economic standing.
The collection thoughtfully incorporates a diverse array of iconic elements and garments from Vietnamese heritage, reflecting various social classes, regions, and occasions. It gracefully transitions from the formal elegance of the áo dài to more everyday silhouettes 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 region.
Looks 2 and 5 exemplify this delicate balance, offering contemporary reinterpretations of these traditional garments while preserving the timeless, rustic, and intimate beauty inherent in Vietnamese women’s attire. Notably, Look 5 gained international acclaim when it was featured in Lady Gaga and Doechii’s music video for "RUNWAY." This ensemble, featuring a skirt with a lotus-leaf pattern that flares around the wearer like a blooming lotus, masterfully embeds profound cultural imagery into a high-fashion context. It artfully aligns the motif of Vietnamese femininity and resilience with the song’s empowering theme of confidence.
The collection also reimagines traditional accessories, including 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 inclusion of attire from different regions of Vietnam underscores the diversity of labor and how dress is intrinsically shaped by geography, occupation, and daily life. Nàng Gấm skillfully merges the utilitarian design principles of workwear with the regal silhouettes of ceremonial garments, interweaving them into contemporary couture compositions.
This captivating contrast is particularly evident in Look 1. The long robe draws inspiration from the áo tơi, a rain cloak crafted from layered palm leaves, and the áo long bào, a gold, dragon-emblazoned robe historically reserved for emperors. This deliberate juxtaposition of garments from vastly different origins creates a powerful visual narrative.
In Look 3, the skirt’s silhouette mirrors the shape of nơm bắt cá (fish trapping baskets), while the cascading yellow silk fringes evoke the imagery of flowing grains of rice, symbolizing generations of agricultural labor and sustenance.
Look 4 pays homage to the ethnic minority communities residing in Vietnam’s mountainous regions. Its dramatic asymmetrical shoulder piece emulates the contours of rolling hills and towering peaks. Across the garment, carved waves suggest the movement of ruộng bậc thang (terraced rice fields). Worn over a backless áo yếm-inspired dress featuring a bold leg slit and a wide-brimmed nón ba tầm that artfully conceals the eyes, this ensemble exudes confidence and allure, capturing the quiet resilience that defines Vietnamese women.
From Sketch to Silhouette: The Art of Creation
Look 4 holds a special significance as it marks the inception of the Nàng Gấm collection – the initial sketch from which the entire collection evolved. This design was the first to be brought to life from Jennie’s original conception, with the preliminary sketch meticulously preserved throughout its execution.
The construction of this piece presented a steep learning curve, with Jennie candidly acknowledging the challenges of working with silk. Moreover, she was committed to sourcing all silks and fabrics for the collection exclusively from Vietnam, working with a finite supply of materials. The Doan siblings’ family played an instrumental role in the collection’s development, with their parents diligently 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 an "it takes a village" approach, reinforcing the collection’s unwavering commitment to Vietnamese authenticity and craftsmanship.
During the interview, Jennie presented EnVi with a piece of test fabric she had experimented on to achieve the intricate 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 deconstructed an áo dài sent by her mother, carefully studying its layers, seams, and structure to gain a deeper understanding of its construction.
The painstaking attention to detail invested in each piece truly embodies the thematic proverb of Nàng Gấm: khó nhọc, sung sướng 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 as she meticulously assembled each garment.
This philosophy of discipline and meticulous care is mirrored in Jennie’s design approach. "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."
Incorporating 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 hardworking Vietnamese people, it is precisely this intensive labor and unwavering care that are essential to 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
The unveiling of Nàng Gấm represents a significant milestone for DOAN Atelier, marking the beginning of their journey to solidify their presence in the fashion industry amidst the dynamic demands of academic pursuits, professional careers, and everyday life. The siblings are actively focused on deepening their understanding of the industry, fostering connections with fellow creatives, and expanding their team.
Deeply inspired by the preceding generations of Vietnamese designers and their contemporary peers, the Doan siblings aspire to join them in occupying a prominent space on the global stage, representing a burgeoning vision of Vietnamese talent.
During the development and showcase of Nàng Gấm, Jennie and Austin observed a consistent theme: many were captivated by the exceptional quality of the silk, frequently expressing surprise with exclamations like, "Wow, is this coming from Vietnam?" Initially taken aback by this sentiment, 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 textile exporters, Vietnam plays a monumental role in the global fashion supply chain. However, its long and rich legacy of craftsmanship has remained largely underrecognized. Only recently have initiatives like the viral social media presence of Hội An tailors catering to tourists brought attention to Vietnamese tailoring, yet for Vietnamese people, this culture has always been an integral part of daily life, with tailor shops found on nearly every corner.
Reflecting on their aspirations for both Vietnamese and international audiences to glean from 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 forge their creative paths, DOAN Atelier remains committed to building upon the foundation laid by Nàng Gấm, translating heritage into modern reinterpretations. The brand persistently strives to position Vietnam not merely as a hub of production but as a vanguard of emerging creative talent, a nation rich in craftsmanship, cultural memory, and innovation.
At the heart of DOAN Atelier lies an enduring tribute to Vietnamese women, spanning from the past to the present, whose strength, resilience, and labor continue to shape the very fabric of each meticulously crafted piece.