Hanoi (VNA) – Trang Le, founder and Chairwoman of the Vietnam International Fashion Week, has become President of the Council of ASEAN Fashion Designers (CAFD) – the first fashion association officially recognised by the ASEAN Secretariat.
The role of president of the CAFD is a honour for both Trang Le and the domestic fashion industry as Vietnam has a person holding the highest position in the fashion industry in the Southeast Asian region.
Trang Le said this is not only a great honour for me, but also for Vietnam’s fashion industry.”
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN countries need to come together to create a powerful and strong united bloc to bring ASEAN fashion into new heights, according to Trang Le.
“This is a great opportunity and also a big challenge for me, with all my experience over the past 10 years, I will still do my best to bring ASEAN fashion to the world.”
Trang Le, a representative of Vietnam, joins a signing ceremony to set up the ASEAN – RoK Fashion Federation in November, 2019. (Photo: Courtesy of the organising board).
Datuk Kenn Yam, a founding member and honorary president of the CAFD, said highlighted potential for development in the region, especially the fashion industry. The CAFD will serve as a bridge for regional talented designers with the world fashion industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the regional fashion industry. It is time the industry needs to review, propose new initiatives, assess business plans so as to stabilise and develop business strategies in the coming time, he said.
Therefore, he said he believes that, with her experience in the fashion industry for more than 10 years, Trang Le will be a competent leader to push the ASEAN fashion industry forward.
The Council of ASEAN Fashion Designers (CAFD) is an independent non-profit organisation to facilitate ASEAN fashion to remain relevant and designers to thrive in the digital economy.
The CAFD is the first ever fashion organisation to be accredited by the ASEAN Secretariat. This is a supervising council to promote high quality ASEAN fashion, apparel and ASEAN atelier industry moving forward. The CAFD is created to impact the world and to empower its members in taking their vision and ideas, and making them a commercial reality.
Trang Le meets with Fern Mallis, former first president of the US Council of Fashion Designers and co-founder of the New York Fashion Week. (Photo provided by Trang Le) Prior being the President of the CAFD, in 2014, Trang Le was the first representative of Vietnam on the list of the Asian Couture Federation - where many famous designers are members, such as "fashion legends" Lie Sang Bong and Kenzo Takada.
Since then, she has had a mission of seeking Vietnamese talent designers to introduce them to the Asian Couture Federation. Renowned designer Nguyen Cong Tri is an example.
Besides, Trang Le is an honorary guest at major fashion weeks in the world like the New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, and Tokyo Fashion Week.
She was on the list of top 50 most influential women in Vietnam voted by prestigious Forbes magazine Vietnam. In 2018, she was selected to be the honorary ambassador of the exhibition on European lifestyle in Vietnam with the participation of nearly 30 countries in the European Union.
The Vietnam International Fashion Week (VIFW) founded by Trang Le in 2014 has brought progress and prosperity to the Vietnamese fashion industry. The event is a venue for famous fashion brands and designers not only from Vietnam but also from countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and other developed countries in the world such as France, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea./.
