As one of the world’s leading textile and apparel exporters, Vietnam has emerged as a strong voice in the fashion sector. Once a symbol of mass production, the “Made in Vietnam” label has recently become a creative sanctuary for independent fashion designers. Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets have now become a fashion magnet that foreign shoppers travel to visit. It is now a creative hub that can proudly rival anywhere in Southeast Asia.
This new identity is being amplified on pop culture’s most coveted stages. Brands like Fancì Club and LSOUL have infused seams and silhouettes with a fiery identity. Their designs, which harmoniously combine passionate local youth culture with strong femininity, have now become a fixture of the K-pop scene. For example, Blackpink members wore custom-made LSOUL products for their ‘Deadline’ world tour. These Vietnamese names have also become popular in the global market, with celebrities such as Adele wowing the crowd with a sparkling gown designed by Cong Tri at one of her 2024 concerts.
The culmination of this movement gained recognition and widespread influence in the realm of high fashion. As the youngest and first Vietnamese designer awarded by the Fédération de la Haute Couture, Phan Huy’s invitation to Paris Haute Couture Week was a decisive milestone. Meanwhile, Diaspora has created its own influential passages, from Peter Do’s achievements with his eponymous brand to Linh Tran’s integral role as Lemaire’s co-artistic director. Linh Tran is loved around the world for his modular approach to minimalist elegance. Writer Ocean Vuong also lent his pen and collaborated on the narrative of Helmut Lang’s spring 2024 collection, proving that Vietnamese creativity is an unstoppable tide across all arts.
In this fertile land, a lush garden of talent continues to bloom, and each designer is expected to flourish. The story is still being written step by step.
fancy club
From owning a thrift store to dressing various celebrities, Fancì Club has blazed an incredible path. The brand has become a favorite among fashionistas such as Hailey Bieber, Dua Lipa, Davikah and Anok Yai. Fancy Club’s influence extends to the stage, and Blackpink members, including Jenny, sometimes go on stage wearing stage costumes. And before the year came to a close, Lisa was also seen wearing a custom look, unmistakably a “fancì”, to celebrate the festivities.
Founded by designer Duy Tran in 2018, the brand is hitting it out of the park with all the magic happening within the walls of its first brick-and-mortar store located in vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, while remaining firmly established in its hometown. The brightly lit space, decorated with black furniture and reflective elements, has become a constant draw for tourists and fashion lovers who want to see the work in person.
From the fall/winter 2024 collection “Roaring” to the latest spring/summer 2026 “Renaked”, Fancì Club’s designs are deeply intertwined with Vietnam’s youth culture. The brand’s meteoric rise has created a window for the world to glimpse into Saigon’s dynamic young generation.
El Soul
At LSOUL, romanticism is reimagined through a sharp lens. Like the spirit of its homeland, the brand’s designs are a tribute to Vietnamese beauty tempered by perseverance. Fragile lace, satin roses and sheer drapes are juxtaposed with boning, sculpted seams and bold silhouettes to create a world that expresses femininity in the form of equally impactful softness.
Founded by Nguyễn Trọng Lâm, LSOUL began not as a design house but as a curated store following the designer’s early menswear business. This foundational chapter will hone your keen understanding of market requirements, paving the way for pivotal evolutions in 2022. At that time, LSOUL became a full-fledged label, shifting from curation to creation.
This sophisticated vision quickly resonated beyond borders, dressing international style icons like Katy Perry and Ling Ling Kwong, as well as K-pop celebrities including CL and I-DLE’s Miyeon. LSoul’s defining moment came at Shanghai Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025, where its debut showcase marked a surprising breakthrough. As the final look walked down the runway, the applause signaled more than a successful show. This heralded LSOUL as a compelling new voice in Ho Chi Minh City with unmistakable influence.
jia studio
For those who value traditional fashion as much as modern nuances, Gia Studios, founded in 2018 by designer Lâm Gia Khang, is a discovery. The name itself contains a double poetry. “Gia” is the founder’s middle name, but in Vietnamese it carries deeper meanings of “family” and “belonging.” For the fourth-generation clothing manufacturer, Gia Studios is more than a design language. Surrounded by yarn, fabric and garment making, his craft is an inherited heirloom and a family business woven into every seam.
Raised in a family of tailors, Lâm received early training in architecture and fashion design. This instilled in him a deep appreciation for the traditional skills and clothing that existed before Western influences reshaped the landscape. Many people got to know him through Project Runway Vietnam 2013, but our admiration began later, in the frenzied showrooms of Shanghai Fashion Week. There his vision took shape. The elegant Áo dài was transformed into a knitted dress with a plunging neckline, and the Nón lá conical hat was reborn as a fedora. In his hands, traditions are not preserved as relics, but translated into new dialects.
Using a neutral palette of earthy tones, Gia Studios champions a language of simplicity, but the designs are never monotonous. Cultural touchstones are woven into silhouettes that speak to women from all walks of life. After all, who can resist the charm of a thoughtful piece, especially made from the finest materials such as Vietnamese silk?
Ratui Atelier
Latui Atelier emerges from the Vietnamese creative scene not only as a fashion brand, but also as a manifesto for raw, punk romance worn on its sleeve, or rather ripped. Based on the principle of exploring the imperfections and complexities of existence, Latui’s designs thrive in the electric space between the street, stage, and noisy rebellion. This magnetic energy is attracting the attention of global performers, from Blackpink’s Rosé, J Balvin, and Bilkin to Cortis members and Cat’s Eye Daniela. What makes these pieces wearable on and off stage is the design that speaks through practical elements, often with leather, lace and, of course, unexpected slashes of challenge.
This creative direction finds its purest expression in collections such as Tui 11, titled “Shameless: Archive of the Self.” Here, the spirit of the brand is embodied in the uniforms for this community. Key pieces such as heavy leathers, piled distressed fabrics and ankle-length dresses are intentionally crafted with frayed edges and torn seams. Every piece is as emotionally charged as it is visually striking.
What truly sets Latui Atelier apart is its deep-rooted understanding that revolutionary fashion requires an equally revolutionary community. More than clothing, the campaign is a subcultural excavation, tapping into a vibrant ecosystem of local photographers, models and artists to create visuals that capture the complexities, layered emotions and vibrant underground energy that only belong to the Vietnamese people. Through this, Latui Atelier cultivates its own following, a collective heartbeat for people with similar preferences.
Ah Midnight Club
As the name suggests, Ah Midnight Club operates as a night club for like-minded people, a conceptual space where subcultures gather under the cover of the night. Founded by Bin Pos, the label draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of street culture, music and cinematic aesthetics. Each collection acts as an open invitation, with a lineup that acts as an internal code for those who find resonance between the afterlife and the purity of street style.
The brand’s genius lies in its strategic balance between sharp designer pieces and powerful merchandise. It acknowledges and capitalizes on young people’s need for a brand-centric identity, where a well-crafted slogan t-shirt is a fashion staple and a sign of belonging.
Despite being nicknamed “The Hidden Store,” Aah Midnight Club has captured the attention of the next generation of fashion disruptors. K-pop idols such as James and Juhoon of Cortis, known for their funky and punk style, are attracting attention by wearing this brand. What truly sets Aah Midnight Club apart is how it finds its way back to fashion’s roots, a fundamental commitment to wearability. Revealing subcultural references creates pieces that are easily accessible, whether for those deep inside or simply looking for a touch of rebellious spirit, and lives up to the inclusive ideology at the heart of a true streetwear label.
This article first appeared in Grazia Malaysia.
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