For some Vietnamese fashion designers, life doesn't always conform to their dreams, designer Nhat Minh said at a recent forum held in HCM City.
Hosted by Mot (Fashion) magazine, the forum attracted more than 30 veteran and young fashion designers who work in Hanoi and HCM City .
Minh said that he and his colleagues had worked hard for years to create new designs.
"We have worked very hard to develop our businesses and meet the higher demands of customers," Minh said.
Before opening his own shop, Minh studied at HCM City 's Fine Arts University and worked as an assistant for veteran designers at leading garment companies.
"Some of my friends and I have received prizes in competitions for young designers," said Minh, who earns nearly 200 million VND (10,000 USD) in turnover a month from his shop located in the city's shopping centre Zen Plaza .
"But behind the awards are the sweat and tears that we have shed over our collections."
Minh believes that young designers, particularly students, need to experience life before embarking on a design career.
Minh's older colleague, designer Minh Khoa said that faced with the lack of quality design schools and teachers in Viet Nam , "you have to overcome many challenges to become skilled designers."
"You need to discover your own niche on the fashion map," he said.
Khoa's road to achieving his dreams was not easy.
In 2003, he sold a wedding collection to an American businessman, becoming one of the country's first designers to export their designs overseas.
He discovered what foreign customers wanted to see in new styles, particularly those created by Asian designers.
However, he failed to find an overseas agent who could help him develop his business.
Today, he owns two fashion boutiques downtown, offering special collections for both Vietnamese and foreign customers.
Although he has worked in fashion design for several years, he had difficulties in researching, marketing and satisfying the demands of new markets.
"People prefer traditional Vietnamese fabrics, such as silk, brocade, taffeta and raw silk," said Minh Hanh, head of the city's Fashion Design Institute (Fadin).
"But if designers misuse these fabrics in their designs, they won't be able to inspire their customers."
As a pioneer in the design field in Viet Nam , Hanh predicted that her younger colleagues would find it difficult to satisfy the high expectations of customers.
"They need to do a lot more research and design work."
After winning fame at home, Hanh began exporting her designs, marketed under the MH brand, to Los Angeles in 2002.
Her designs combine traditional Vietnamese and Parisian styles and follow the latest trends in fashion.
Working closely with a representative of the Reper Troirs Showroom in Los Angeles , Hanh frequently sends new collections to the dealer to market.
She has received many requests from American buyers to make clothes, and has shown her collections at fashion festivals and fairs in France , Japan and Belgium , selling many of her pieces to customers there.
Her staff of several salespeople and seamstresses works in her shops in Ha Noi and HCM City .
"There is strong competition for young designers. To be successful, youth need to establish their own niche," said Hanh, adding that becoming a professional required years
of serious study and application.
According to Hoang Quoc Long, a lecturer on fashion and tailoring at the Nguyen Huu Canh Vocational School , many local and foreign garment companies are in need of
designers, but there is a shortage of qualified people.
"Design is a new field in Viet Nam ," he said. "Many colleges and universities across the country are improving their facilities and human resources to expand the field of
fashion design in their programmes."
However, Long said that young people must understand "the most important lesson is that no one is successful without both passion and extensive training"./.
Hosted by Mot (Fashion) magazine, the forum attracted more than 30 veteran and young fashion designers who work in Hanoi and HCM City .
Minh said that he and his colleagues had worked hard for years to create new designs.
"We have worked very hard to develop our businesses and meet the higher demands of customers," Minh said.
Before opening his own shop, Minh studied at HCM City 's Fine Arts University and worked as an assistant for veteran designers at leading garment companies.
"Some of my friends and I have received prizes in competitions for young designers," said Minh, who earns nearly 200 million VND (10,000 USD) in turnover a month from his shop located in the city's shopping centre Zen Plaza .
"But behind the awards are the sweat and tears that we have shed over our collections."
Minh believes that young designers, particularly students, need to experience life before embarking on a design career.
Minh's older colleague, designer Minh Khoa said that faced with the lack of quality design schools and teachers in Viet Nam , "you have to overcome many challenges to become skilled designers."
"You need to discover your own niche on the fashion map," he said.
Khoa's road to achieving his dreams was not easy.
In 2003, he sold a wedding collection to an American businessman, becoming one of the country's first designers to export their designs overseas.
He discovered what foreign customers wanted to see in new styles, particularly those created by Asian designers.
However, he failed to find an overseas agent who could help him develop his business.
Today, he owns two fashion boutiques downtown, offering special collections for both Vietnamese and foreign customers.
Although he has worked in fashion design for several years, he had difficulties in researching, marketing and satisfying the demands of new markets.
"People prefer traditional Vietnamese fabrics, such as silk, brocade, taffeta and raw silk," said Minh Hanh, head of the city's Fashion Design Institute (Fadin).
"But if designers misuse these fabrics in their designs, they won't be able to inspire their customers."
As a pioneer in the design field in Viet Nam , Hanh predicted that her younger colleagues would find it difficult to satisfy the high expectations of customers.
"They need to do a lot more research and design work."
After winning fame at home, Hanh began exporting her designs, marketed under the MH brand, to Los Angeles in 2002.
Her designs combine traditional Vietnamese and Parisian styles and follow the latest trends in fashion.
Working closely with a representative of the Reper Troirs Showroom in Los Angeles , Hanh frequently sends new collections to the dealer to market.
She has received many requests from American buyers to make clothes, and has shown her collections at fashion festivals and fairs in France , Japan and Belgium , selling many of her pieces to customers there.
Her staff of several salespeople and seamstresses works in her shops in Ha Noi and HCM City .
"There is strong competition for young designers. To be successful, youth need to establish their own niche," said Hanh, adding that becoming a professional required years
of serious study and application.
According to Hoang Quoc Long, a lecturer on fashion and tailoring at the Nguyen Huu Canh Vocational School , many local and foreign garment companies are in need of
designers, but there is a shortage of qualified people.
"Design is a new field in Viet Nam ," he said. "Many colleges and universities across the country are improving their facilities and human resources to expand the field of
fashion design in their programmes."
However, Long said that young people must understand "the most important lesson is that no one is successful without both passion and extensive training"./.
