VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam's fashion industry has thrown itself into the process of international integration, making bold moves to reach the world catwalk stages, an industry executive said.

Dang Phuong Dung, Chief Executive Officer of the Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), said: "Over recent years, fashion activities have been diversified with a series of fashion shows being held abroad and received much attention from not only people in this showbiz but also the public."

Many fashion shows took place as part of cultural exchange activities in European, Asian and American countries, bringing Vietnam's traditional long dresses (ao dai) and stylised loose-fitting blouses (ao ba ba) or four-panel traditional tunics (ao tu than) to the world, she added.

Designs on local made silk, multi-coloured weavings and hand-made embroideries were acclaimed at big culture events, such as the "Vietnamese Culture Week" in Japan and Belgium, the "Vietnamese Culture Month" in Italy and the "Viet Nam Day" in the US, she said.

Inside the country, Dep Fashion Show 2006, held by Dep Magazine and Le Media Joint Stock Co., blew a new breath into the fashion showbiz. A fashion collection easily sinks into oblivion if they are simply designs performed on catwalks. Dep Fashion Show 2006, a drama of fashion with characters, has changed the way of performing and enjoying fashion.

Contributing to the development of Vietnamese fashion are a contingent of designers, both young and veteran. Minh Hanh, top designer in the country who is currently Director of the HCM City-based Viet Nam Fashion and Design Institute, has been internationally well-known for her hand-made costumes.

Minh Hanh was Vietnam's first designer to have been conferred with the title "Knight of Art and Literacy" by France for her contributions to boosting France-Vietnam cooperation in the area of fashion. Hanh made a guest appearance on Italian TV show Alle Felde Del Kilimarigiaro, produced by RAI Television. The programme was broadcast on Christmas Eve in Italy.

Alongside Minh Hanh and Si Hoang, an expert in designing traditional long dresses, young designers Vo Viet Chung, Le Minh Khoa, Truong Thanh Long, Kieu Viet Lien and Ngo Thai My Uyen have emerged as new faces.

Ngo Thai Uyen won third prize in a regional fashion competition held in 1997 in Singapore and Vo Viet Chung received a top prize at the Makuhari Fashion Competition for young designers in Japan in the same year.

However, a designer said the Vietnamese fashion industry is failing to operate in an uniform manner as it seems there has been no cooperation between local fashion firms and designers.

Nguyen Son, Deputy Director of Vinatex's Trade Promotion Centre, urged businesses and designers to draw out strategies to set up fashion associations to create a strong link and pay attention to promoting trademarks of the Vietnamese fashion.

(Source: VNA)