by Ky Nam, Tao Jun
HO CHI MINH CITY, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Twenty foreign and local Vietnamese designers and hundreds of professional models are offering fashion lovers here a visual feast and experts say Vietnam's fashion industry has a lot of potentials for growth.
The Vietnam International Fashion Week 2015, the biggest fashion event in Vietnam, runs at the Ho Chi Minh City's Gem Center from Oct. 14 to 18.
At the event, co-organized by the Association of Asian Couture Federation, FIDe Fashion Week and Vietnam's Multimedia Joint Stock Company, 20 well-known fashion designers, including eight coming from France, Italy, Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Dubai, and 12 from Vietnam are showcasing their latest fashion collections.
Ms. Le Thi Quynh Trang, president of Vietnam International Fashion Week, told Xinhua that the event, the second of its kind, is aimed at bringing Vietnam's fashion at par with international fashion.
"I believe that Vietnam's fashion will become an attractive destination in the world's fashion map," Ms. Trang said.
According to Trang, while Vietnam has many gifted designers, it lacks professional venues where they can display their talents. "On the first day of the Vietnam International Fashion Week 2015, Vietnamese and French designers exhibited their collections. As far as you could see, Vietnamese designers are as qualified as their foreign counterparts," Trang said, adding that in upcoming fashion shows in Ho Chi Minh City more creations of talented Vietnamese designers would be displayed on the ramp.
"In fact, Vietnam has yet to have a developed fashion industry. Thus our target is to establish a strong fashion industry. Vietnam has many factors to help realize this goal such as abundant sources of both designers and materials," Trang said.
According to Trang, with stronger support from the state, relevant agencies and organizations as well as Vietnamese consumers, the local fashion industry could be broadened and expanded.
Indonesian designer Sebastian Gunawan, who has been recognized as an "Asian Couturier Extraordinaire" by the Asian Couture Federation, echoed Trang's statements.
He told Xinhua that he is very excited because this is the first time that he joined the Vietnam International Fashion Week.
"The future of Vietnam's fashion industry looks good. I know they have new and talented designers. And I see that the future of the fashion industry is bright since it has the full support of Vietnamese designers and models. And they are really proud of and fond of their local products," Gumawan said.
Gunawan said he hoped there would be more local and international designers to join next year's Vietnam International Fashion Week. "We are looking forward to seeing more Vietnamese designers and models walking with vigorous stride on the international stage," he said.
Many Vietnamese models and fashion lovers also shared their positive statements and predictions of the local fashion industry.
Model Truong Tri Truc Diem said: "I have participated in the Vietnam International Fashion Week twice already. I felt that it's heating up. The local fashion industry is getting closer and closer to international standards."
Kha Ngan, a spectator from Ho Chi Minh City, said that she has attended the annual fashion show twice already.
"I think that Vietnam's fashion industry is developing fast and more designers are showcasing increasingly beautiful collections. I hope that there will be more collections with strong characters designed for young people like me," Ms. Ngan said.
