LÊ THANH HÒA IS PUTTING VIETNAM ON THE FASHION MAP
BY RHIANNA JONES
A Vietnamese proverb says adversity is the mother of wisdom, which deeply aligns with Lê Thanh Hòa’s brand mission. While Vietnam’s fashion footprint may pale in comparison to Japan or Korea, the country has a well-established mastery of tailoring and craftsmanship. Lê Thanh Hòa shares this passion for technique, having graduated valedictorian from the University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City with a major in fashion design. He channeled this same attention to detail in launching his eponymous brand in 2012 with the desire to contribute to the development of Vietnam and elevate to the world of high fashion. Tapping into his architectural back-ground, his hope is to build the image of a luxurious, modern, and multi-style woman imbued with a gentle elegance and beauty. Each collection takes audiences on a journey through space and time, inviting his army of celebrities, beauty queens, and girl bosses to escape to his ethereal wonderland. Resort 22’s “Sa Vu” brought flowers blooming on cactus rocks to life with models blending into a manufactured desert background. As floor-length chiffon dresses blew in the wind, and glitter printed shorts and sequin suiting sashayed down the catwalk, RTW separates in tan, yellow, and fire orange danced across a stage, evoking a psychedelic desert party from day to night. The latest collection “An” has a much more cosmopolitan energy, blending Eastern tradition with Western trends and, in his words, “creating rebellion in each design.” Fresh takes on the traditional qipao, a fierce fuschia mini dress, ostrich feather clutches, nd head-to-toe white shantung tailoring are but a few of the drop-dead glamorous ensembles to grace this collection. Injecting the designs with hand-crafted embroidery, 3-D rendering, and bonded fabrics leveled up the brand for the modern femme fatale. His masterful aesthetic has caught the eye of the nation’s beau monde, and continues to pave the way for more Vietnamese voices and visions to chime into couture. With each collection this industry darling is uplifting his culture through creativity.