Vietnamese students participate in Asian fashion contest: Drawing so passionately that they forget to eat

(Dan Tri) - With her graduation project "They are watching you", Lo Thi Thanh Dung was honored to become the representative of Vietnam to participate in the Harper's Bazaar Asia Fashion Design competition.

Awakening through "They're Watching You" Lo Thi Thanh Dung (commonly known as Lo Dung, born in 2002, Quang Ninh) is a student at the London College for Design and Fashion. After graduating, Dung was chosen to represent Vietnam to participate in the Harper's Bazaar Asia Fashion Design Competition. Through the collection "They're Watching You", Dung wants to send a message of awakening to humanity under the consequences of devastation. "They" - the image of all unchanging life standing on the boundary between existence and extinction.

Lu Dung (third from left) takes a souvenir photo with a model presenting the collection "They are watching you". (Photo: Yen Nhi).

Each outfit in "They're Watching You" represents a different aspect of pain. Looking at the collection, viewers will feel like they are being "watched" by "them", reminded of the consequences humans have caused to nature. To create a collection with a meaningful, humane message, Lo Dung spent 100 million VND and 6 months to come up with ideas and designs. For Dung, half a year of working on and completing the project was an arduous process, costly in terms of time and materials.

Two impressive designs in the collection of student designer Lu Dung. (Photo: Yen Nhi).

Dung said that the inspiration for the "They're Watching You" collection came from inexplicable fears. "For example, Scopophobia (fear of being seen), Megalophobia (fear of giant things), Nyctophobia (fear of the dark), Automatonophobia (fear of things that look like humans but are not humans). I asked myself, why am I afraid of those things, where does this fear come from? Sometimes when I'm on the street, I often see scenes that look like human figures, such as eyes, mouths, hands. Or for a moment, I see scenes that look like human shadows, but when I rub my eyes and look again, it's just a tree or a lamppost," Dung said.

The process of developing ideas to create "They're Watching You" by Lu Dung. (Photo: NVCC).

Lu Dung often asks himself what "they" are that are observing him. After reasoning, Dung realizes that not only humans, but also countless other lives that are being forgotten all around. "The tree is "breathing", the river is still flowing, the ocean is still making waves, are "they" always watching us? What have "they" had to endure that humans have caused and are causing? After the Covid-19 pandemic passed, many reports assumed that the origin of the disease originated from animals and could be transferred from animals to humans. Those real-life examples made me think more deeply that "they" are observing us and will pay back exactly what we have caused them," Lu Dung shared.

Dung used manual knitting methods to perfect the collection. (Photo: NVCC).

Dung used black, white, dark blue, and burgundy as the main colors for the collection. The fabric is environmentally friendly, reused from old products, scraps of fabric, and handmade knitting methods. The design is flexible and can be worn in many different ways to encourage users to wear it many times, contributing to building a sustainable lifestyle. Forgetting to eat and sleep to draw Dung has had a passion for drawing since he was a child. "I started drawing in grade 2. At that time, I really liked reading Doraemon and learning to draw from the stories. I also liked reading stories because when I read, I felt like I was experiencing the interesting journey of the character. Besides, my older sister was the one who influenced me in this hobby. When I was a child, I saw that she drew beautifully, so I also learned and experienced it. Gradually, drawing became my passion," Dung confided.

Lu Dung's design style is influenced by Japanese culture. (Photo: NVCC).

Dung said that to satisfy her passion, she often spends hours forgetting to eat and sleep just to draw. "Painting is the premise that makes me fascinated with beauty. Because art is limitless, I want to try more interesting things, so I chose the fashion industry. I like the way artists convey their emotions through paintings as well as the way designers put into costumes to express their ego and personality. The more I learn, the more I love fashion design. With my forte in drawing, I often put stories into clothes to convey messages," she said. Dung said that she likes the sophistication and power in costumes and Japanese culture, so her design style is often a bit influenced by Japan. For Lu Dung, her passion for beauty and desire to be creative are the biggest motivations that make her enthusiastic about art.

Sending a message through the Military collection, Lu Dung realized that what remains after war are scars. (Photo: NVCC).

Fashion is where Dung conveys the emotions and messages that the female student wants to say but doesn't know how to say. "My designs all carry their own messages and emotions. With the Military collection last semester, I was inspired by the beauty and sacrifice of soldiers in the war. No matter who they are, what side they belong to, regardless of skin color or race, as long as they are soldiers, they are forced to fight, suffer and sacrifice. War has made them sweat, blood and tears. After all, what remains after the war are the unhealed things and scars," Dung confided. Staying up 2-3 days a week because of her passion, Dung started pursuing fashion design from scratch. In 2021, the female student's choice to study at the London College of Design and Fashion surprised her relatives and friends. Dung entered the school with the mindset of wanting to try and learn new things. When she first became a freshman in design, Dung felt overwhelmed by the many talented and capable friends around her.

Lu Dung uses environmentally friendly fabrics, reusing old products to create a collection with its own mark. (Photo: Yen Nhi).

"At that time, I told myself to try twice or three times harder to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with my friends," Dung said. Lo Dung said that there is a lot of knowledge and skills in the fashion industry, so in addition to studying at school, most of the experiences she has gained are from her own research. To pursue her passion, Dung had to sacrifice her health and time. "Many times, I forgot to eat and sleep while working on projects, staying up for 2-3 days straight to work. Although I was tired, I was still happy because I could satisfy my passion," Dung said. According to Lo Dung, for young designers like her, fashion is a difficult process: "The cost of pursuing fashion is very high and expensive, especially fashion shows. That is an important and difficult issue for students like me."

Portrait of Lo Thi Thanh Dung. (Photo: NVCC).

Faced with social prejudices about the fashion industry, as a parent, Lo Dung's mother confided: "Before, I was quite worried when Dung decided to pursue a career in fashion design. However, after researching, I found that as society develops, the fashion industry has become an inevitable trend. At the same time, this is also a fertile ground for young people who are passionate about creativity and entrepreneurship. However, designers must always be constantly creative and be able to balance art and public taste. Fashion design is a job with a lot of pressure, but I believe that with passion and a spirit of learning, Dung and many other young people can make their own mark and succeed. Family will always be a solid support, supporting and accompanying their children." As a promising student designer, Lo Dung thinks that the journey to pursue passion is always harsh, requiring a lot of dedication and patience. "This journey is worth it not only because of the final success but also the valuable memories and lessons you collect along the way," Dung shared.

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