Minimalist lifestyle in general and minimalist fashion in particular have been popular in the world for decades. In recent years, this trend has begun to be introduced quite a lot in Vietnam through famous books such as A book about minimalism (Chi Nguyen), Japanese minimalist lifestyle (Sasaki Fumio), The art of pursuing minimalism (Greg McKeown)... Besides, minimalist time has also begun to be noticed by Vietnamese people.
Simple and sustainable
Expert Dung To (founder and leader of the Eva De Eva brand in its first 15 years; currently a speaker, ambassador of the trend forecasting organization WGSN and CEO of the Style Lounge brand) commented that minimalist fashion style has a strong influence, originating from major changes in society and the environment. Factors such as economic recession, climate change and the explosion of technology have led to profound changes in consumer demand. Today's consumers are gradually abandoning the habit of using fast fashion products, cheap and only used for a short time, to move towards owning more durable and long-lasting items. "As society increasingly focuses on sustainability and environmental responsibility, minimalist fashion is not only a trend but also a manifestation of a conscious lifestyle," Ms. Dung To commented.
Fashion expert Dung To models for Style Lounge outfits
Photo: NVCC
With a passion for fashion, Ms. Tran Phuong Dong founded the White Chic brand in 2022. Initially, she focused on developing products that create elegant beauty, rich in creativity with many details, diverse in materials and shapes. However, by 2024, White Chic turned to a minimalist style. The female CEO confided: "Over time, I realized that luxury does not necessarily have to be expressed through elaborate designs. The minimalist style helps focus on the true nature of beauty in fashion, which lies in delicate materials, meticulous lines and most importantly, sustainable values."
After more than 1 year of drastic implementation, White Chic has made a synchronous change in both design direction and production process, of which the Rebirth collection is the milestone marking the transformation. Not following trends, the brand creates highly applicable designs that can accompany the wearer for a long time. The products focus on simplicity, using high-quality materials, standard shapes and meticulous tailoring techniques with 14 manufacturing stages. In addition, the brand also contributes to inspiring a minimalist, sustainable and responsible lifestyle through activities such as planting trees, donating trees, donating and recycling old clothes, etc.
Minimalist Design by White Chic
Photo: NVCC
From the role of a minimalist fashion follower, Pham Thai Khang created the men's fashion brand MEnimal from his own style. The 9X guy shared: "Fashion is expressed through two outstanding features: the simplification of unnecessary details to create the core of simplicity and the escape from the concept of traditional beauty, gender or age". With MEnimal, he wants to create a sustainable, timeless wardrobe for men. Wearing a minimalist style means choosing to wear clothes that are simple, with few details and accessories; the color tones tend to be neutral, dark or monochrome.
The potential of minimalist fashion
Expert Dung To emphasized that minimalist fashion is not simply about simplicity in design but also about optimization - less but high quality (less is more). This means focusing on quality instead of quantity, ensuring that each item in the wardrobe has high value and application. Therefore, this is not just a temporary trend but a lens that reflects people's deep need for sustainability, personal awareness and sophisticated lifestyle.
Singer Hieuthuhai wears minimalist outfit by MEnimal
Photo: NVCC
Not only White Chic, MEnimal, or Style Lounge, but currently the domestic Vietnamese fashion market has dozens of brands choosing the minimalist direction. This raises questions about competition and development potential. Ms. Dung To commented that what creates a competitive advantage for a minimalist brand is not pursuing any trend but the ability to tell its own story with the brand's unique mark. Accordingly, each brand must identify its own customer base, deeply understand the needs of this customer base as well as the competitive advantages that only it has. From here, the brand can create an impression through designs with a characteristic style. In addition, having a creative marketing strategy also contributes to creating a different mark. This expert said that in fact, the cycle of a trend can last up to 20 years. The return of the minimalist trend in recent years and the values it brings show that this is a trend with a long life cycle in the future.
Commenting on the development potential in 2025, expert Dung To cited data from a BMI Research report showing that the Vietnamese fashion market is forecast to grow at a rate of about 15-20% annually in the period 2023-2025 thanks to the expansion of the middle class and increased consumption by young people. Meanwhile, a Nielsen survey in Vietnam showed that 73% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable fashion products. These are positive signals for domestic brands to develop minimalist and environmentally friendly product lines.
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