“Toad suing the sky” is one of the magnificent costumes at the national costume competition of Miss Grand Vietnam 2023, designed by Nguyen Duc Luong, a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, which won the award for design with an inspirational story at the final night of Miss Grand Vietnam 2023.
"Toad suing the sky" is one of the magnificent costumes at Miss Grand Vietnam 2023
“The story is about a small but strong toad and his friends suing the heavens to send rain to save all species. Through this, I want to convey the message of courage, the desire for equality and justice and introduce this fairy tale to international friends,” Duc Luong said.
This is the design that Luong and TL came up with together, and then planned to submit to national cultural costume design competitions. However, L. passed away in 2021 due to heart disease before being able to carry out the above plan.
“When you passed away, the Covid-19 pandemic was still very stressful. A week later, L.'s sister texted to tell me. I was very depressed and could only lie in my room and cry. During this time, I lost more than 10 kg. My eyes were nearsighted and weak, so it affected me a lot,” said Luong.
Luong and L. studied hotel management, but both had something in common: a love and passion for fashion. After a series of sad days, Luong began to return to life and wanted to do something meaningful to dedicate to his late friend. Then, this young man submitted the drawing "Toad sues the sky" to the national costume design contest of Miss Grand Vietnam 2023.
Duc Luong adjusted his outfit before going on stage.
According to Luong, the most difficult part was how to make the armor worn with the ao dai but still maintain its softness and grace. The “Toad suing the sky” was sewn on brocade, the roof behind the communal house was erected and 3D printed, the steel frame has wheels for easy movement.
“I took the most care in choosing the beads, fabric, and printing on the ao dai, from the stage of choosing the beads, fabric, and printing. I threw away a total of 4 bundles of fabric and spent time sewing a new ao dai because I wasn’t satisfied with the previous design. The armor with the shape of a toad had to be redrawn many times before printing. Although I haven’t attended any fashion school, I’m still confident because I’ve had time to research the materials and learn how to process them from designer Vu Viet Ha,” Luong said.
Duc Luong received guidance from designer Vu Viet Ha.
As Luong’s close friend throughout her four years of study, Huynh Vu Hoang Oanh, a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said: “Luong and I were active together in a dance group at school. I know that she is very determined to make the “Toad sues the sky” costume, with the desire to continue L.’s dream, although Luong currently has many other outstanding designs.”
Oanh added: “I was really worried about Luong during the whole process of making the costume because every day I had to stay up until 5 or 6 am. Luong was also under financial pressure, had to teach, practice dancing until late at night, and then rush back to work when he got home. There were times when he just ate instant noodles or a cake or asked me to buy him a glass of water to have the energy to work. Seeing how hard he tried, when the costume “Toad sues the sky” was performed on stage, everyone on stage was happy and glad that Luong had fulfilled his dream.”
Designer Vu Viet Ha, who directly guided Luong to complete the "Toad sues the sky" costume, said: "This is the second time I have worked with Luong, she always has special ideas that attract viewers. Luong has a good attitude during the working process, so in this competition season, Ha convinced her to join her team again. I always remind the contestants in the team that even though they take ideas from traditional elements, they must always focus on integrating a contemporary breath, showing a developed Vietnam."
Designer Vu Viet Ha added that, in addition to the performance and grandeur, Luong's outfit also contains a humane story, imbued with the breath of life.
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