# Vietnamese fashion designers to know

> Vietnamese fashion runs from Phan Huy, the first Vietnamese designer on the official Paris Haute Couture calendar, and New York’s Peter Do and Bach Mai to áo dài masters Minh Hạnh, Sĩ Hoàng and Thủy Nguyễn, natural-dye craft at Kilomet109 and Ho Chi Minh City labels such as GIA Studios and Môi Điên. Every milestone has its source.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers
- Local edition: https://thecastindex.com/vi/houses/vietnamese-designers
- Facts checked: 2026-10-22
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)

## What counts, and what we leave out

This is an introduction, not a ranking. We chose ten labels that between them cover Vietnamese couture, ready-to-wear, áo dài and textile heritage, natural-dye craft and designers of Vietnamese birth or heritage working abroad, and that have a public record we could check.

Every milestone links its own source. We left out a well-known designer who is under criminal prosecution, and two whose work has faced copying allegations without a ruling either way. On the official calendars we checked for 2024 to 2026, Phan Huy’s January 2026 Paris couture show was the only one by a designer based in Vietnam.

Facts were checked on 22 October 2026. If you represent one of these labels and see something out of date, send us a correction.

## The labels at a glance

| Label | Designer | Since | Known for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [PHAN HUY](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#phan-huy) | Phan Huy, with co-founder Steven Doan | 2023 | Couture and eveningwear: couture eveningwear with hand-stitched floral and beaded work |
| [PETER DO](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#peter-do) | Peter Do | 2018 | Ready-to-wear: precise, tailoring-led womenswear, produced to order |
| [Minh Hạnh](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#minh-hanh) | Đặng Thị Minh Hạnh | — | Textile heritage: áo dài that brings in the embroidery and cloth of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities |
| [Kilomet109](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#kilomet109) | Vũ Thảo | 2012 | Slow and sustainable: cloth woven, naturally dyed and beeswax-printed with ethnic-minority artisans |
| [Thủy Design House](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#thuy-design-house) | Thủy Nguyễn | 2011 | Textile heritage: áo dài in Vietnamese silk, satin and velvet, drawing on Đông Hồ woodblock prints |
| [Sĩ Hoàng](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#si-hoang) | Sĩ Hoàng | — | Textile heritage: hand-painted floral áo dài, and his own áo dài museum |
| [Chung Thanh Phong](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#chung-thanh-phong) | Chung Thanh Phong | 2013 | Couture and eveningwear: sculptural eveningwear and bridal with intensive hand embroidery |
| [GIA Studios](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#gia-studios) | Lâm Gia Khang | 2014 | Ready-to-wear: cut, structure and handwork, with deliberate empty space |
| [BACH MAI](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#bach-mai) | Bach Mai | 2019 | Couture and eveningwear: eveningwear and gowns from a New York atelier |
| [Môi Điên](https://thecastindex.com/houses/vietnamese-designers#moi-dien) | Tom Trandt (Trần Minh Đạo) | 2016 | Ready-to-wear: pared-back, fabric-led pieces |

## Who they are and what they make.

### PHAN HUY (Phan Huy, with co-founder Steven Doan)

Phan Huy grew up in Nha Trang, and his graduation collection at a Ho Chi Minh City university drew wide attention online, FashionUnited reported. He founded his label with Steven Doan in 2023. In January 2026 he showed couture on the official Paris Haute Couture calendar as a guest of the Fédération, which AFP reported as a first for a Vietnamese designer; his Spring/Summer 2026 collection drew on the Nguyễn dynasty in muslin and tulle.

- Focus: Couture and eveningwear
- Based: Vietnam
- Since: 2023
- Makes: Haute couture and eveningwear
- Official site: https://phanhuy.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phanhuy.official/

Milestones:
- 2023: Founds the label with Steven Doan. (source: https://www.fhcm.paris/en/house/phan-huy)
- July 2025: Shows in Paris during Haute Couture Week, outside the official calendar. (source: https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/phan-huy-the-fashion-prodigy-putting-vietnam-on-the-map/2026013070310)
- 29 January 2026: Shows Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 on the official Paris calendar as a guest member. (source: https://www.enca.com/lifestyle/vietnam-designer-makes-history-paris-haute-couture-wraps)

### PETER DO (Peter Do)

Born in Biên Hòa, Peter Do moved to Philadelphia at 14, studied at FIT and worked at Celine under Phoebe Philo before launching his New York label in 2018, according to the label and the LVMH Prize. He was creative director of Helmut Lang from 2023 until his exit was confirmed in November 2024, and in September 2025 launched PD-168, a lower-priced unisex line.

- Focus: Ready-to-wear
- Based: New York
- Since: 2018
- Makes: Womenswear and menswear, and the unisex line PD-168
- Trained: Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; then Celine under Phoebe Philo, and Derek Lam
- Official site: https://www.peterdo.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.peterdo/

Milestones:
- 2014: Wins the inaugural LVMH Graduate Prize. (source: https://www.lvmhprize.com/en/peter-do)
- 2020: Finalist for the LVMH Prize. (source: https://www.lvmhprize.com/en/editions/2020)
- May 2023: Named creative director of Helmut Lang; his exit is confirmed in November 2024. (source: https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/peter-do-leaves-helmut-lang-creative-director)
- September 2025: Launches PD-168, a lower-priced unisex line. (source: https://hypebeast.com/fr/2025/9/peter-do-pd-168-brand-launch-collection-release-info)

### Minh Hạnh (Đặng Thị Minh Hạnh)

Born in Pleiku in 1961, Minh Hạnh graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University in 1983 and has spent her career combining the áo dài with embroidery and fabrics from Vietnam’s ethnic-minority traditions, and reviving silk weaving, the Fukuoka Prize records. She designed Vietnam Airlines’ cabin uniforms and the costumes leaders wore at the 2006 APEC meetings in Vietnam, and is senior adviser and art director of the Huế Festival.

- Focus: Textile heritage
- Based: Vietnam
- Makes: Áo dài, uniforms and costume, and revival work on silk weaving
- Trained: Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University (graduated 1983)

Milestones:
- 1997: Wins a Special Award at the Asia Collection in Makuhari, Japan. (source: https://fukuoka-prize.org/en/laureates/detail/a177c0e1-c530-4094-a9eb-3e40d756a30a)
- 2006: Made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres; designs Vietnam Airlines’ uniforms and the APEC leaders’ costumes. (source: https://fukuoka-prize.org/en/laureates/detail/a177c0e1-c530-4094-a9eb-3e40d756a30a)
- 2015: Awarded the 26th Fukuoka Prize for Arts and Culture. (source: https://fukuoka-prize.org/en/laureates/detail/a177c0e1-c530-4094-a9eb-3e40d756a30a)

### Kilomet109 (Vũ Thảo)

Vũ Thảo makes Kilomet109’s clothes from fabric that ethnic-minority artisans in Mai Châu and Cao Bằng weave, dye with natural dyes and print with beeswax, the British Council reported when she won its Young Creative Entrepreneur award in 2014. The Hanoi label exhibited at the London Design Biennale in 2018, and she was an artist in residence at Harvard’s Asia Center in 2024–25.

- Focus: Slow and sustainable
- Based: Hanoi
- Since: 2012
- Makes: Clothing made from artisan-woven, naturally dyed textiles
- Official site: https://kilomet109.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kilomet109/

Milestones:
- 9 September 2014: Wins the British Council’s Young Creative Entrepreneur Fashion/Design award (shared). (source: https://www.britishcouncil.vn/en/about/press/kilomet-109-fashion-brand-owner-wins-yce-fashion-design-2014)
- September 2018: Exhibits at the London Design Biennale. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/463606/vietnamese-designers-head-to-london-design-biennale.html)
- 2024: Begins a residency as an Asia Center artist in residence at Harvard. (source: https://asiacenter.harvard.edu/events/conversation-asia-center-2024-25-artists-residence-ben-reich-and-thao-vu-kilomet109)

### Thủy Design House (Thủy Nguyễn)

Born in Hanoi, Thủy Nguyễn studied painting in Ukraine and taught herself fashion before opening her first Ho Chi Minh City store in 2011, Viet Nam News reported. She works in Vietnamese silk, satin and velvet and draws on Đông Hồ woodblock prints; she designed the costumes for the film Cô Ba Sài Gòn (The Tailor) and co-founded The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, which held a retrospective of her work in 2020.

- Focus: Textile heritage
- Based: Ho Chi Minh City
- Since: 2011
- Makes: Áo dài and ready-to-wear; film costume
- Trained: Studied painting in Ukraine; self-taught in fashion

Milestones:
- 2011: Opens her first store, in Ho Chi Minh City. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/804135/female-designer-s-fashion-exhibition-to-open-in-hcm-city.html)
- 2017: Her costumes feature in the film Cô Ba Sài Gòn (The Tailor), screened at the Busan International Film Festival. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/804135/female-designer-s-fashion-exhibition-to-open-in-hcm-city.html)
- 7 November 2020: A retrospective of her work opens at The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/804135/female-designer-s-fashion-exhibition-to-open-in-hcm-city.html)

### Sĩ Hoàng

Sĩ Hoàng made his first áo dài in 1989, for the Miss Áo Dài contest, and Viet Nam News credits him with popularising hand-painted floral áo dài. In 2014 he opened the Áo Dài Museum in Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City, which marked its tenth anniversary in 2024.

- Focus: Textile heritage
- Based: Ho Chi Minh City
- Makes: Áo dài
- Trained: Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts College

Milestones:
- 1989: Designs his first áo dài, for the Miss Áo Dài contest. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1650917/ao-dai-museum-celebrates-10th-anniversary.html)
- 2014: Opens the Áo Dài Museum in Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1650917/ao-dai-museum-celebrates-10th-anniversary.html)
- 2024: The museum marks its tenth anniversary. (source: https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1650917/ao-dai-museum-celebrates-10th-anniversary.html)

### Chung Thanh Phong

Born in Đà Nẵng, Chung Thanh Phong launched his label in 2013, VnExpress reported. In May 2023 Fan Bingbing wore his butterfly-shaped dress in mesh and mica at a party during the Cannes Film Festival, and in August 2026 he showed around 100 orchid-inspired couture looks in Ho Chi Minh City, with hand embroidery that took more than six months.

- Focus: Couture and eveningwear
- Based: Vietnam
- Since: 2013
- Makes: Eveningwear, bridal and couture

Milestones:
- 18 May 2023: Fan Bingbing wears his butterfly-shaped dress at a party during the Cannes Film Festival. (source: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/style/chinese-actress-fan-bingbing-dons-vietnamese-designer-dress-at-cannes-4607302.html)
- August 2026: Shows about 100 orchid-inspired couture looks in Ho Chi Minh City. (source: https://vietnamnet.vn/en/vietnam-s-top-models-headline-chung-thanh-phong-fashion-show-2541641.html)

### GIA Studios (Lâm Gia Khang)

Lâm Gia Khang won first prize at the Belvé Fashion Design Awards in 2012 and was runner-up on Project Runway in 2013 before founding GIA Studios in 2014, Vietcetera reports. The label, which Tatler Vietnam describes as built on cut, structure and handwork, opened Vietnam International Fashion Week in Hanoi for autumn/winter 2018.

- Focus: Ready-to-wear
- Based: Vietnam
- Since: 2014
- Makes: Ready-to-wear and tailoring
- Trained: London College for Design and Fashion

Milestones:
- 2014: Founds GIA Studios. (source: https://vietcetera.com/en/7-of-the-best-designers)
- 2018: Opens Vietnam International Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2018 at the National Convention Center, Hanoi. (source: https://vietnam.vnanet.vn/english/fashion-event-opens-a-door-to-the-world-for-vietnamese-brands/410366.html)

### BACH MAI (Bach Mai)

The son of Vietnamese immigrants, raised in Houston, Bach Mai studied at Parsons and worked at Oscar de la Renta and Prabal Gurung and as first design assistant to John Galliano at Maison Margiela before launching his New York label in 2019, PaperCity reports. The CFDA nominated him American Emerging Designer of the Year in 2022.

- Focus: Couture and eveningwear
- Based: New York
- Since: 2019
- Makes: Eveningwear and ready-to-wear
- Trained: Parsons; then Oscar de la Renta, Prabal Gurung and Maison Margiela under John Galliano
- Official site: https://bachmai.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bachmai/

Milestones:
- 2019: Launches his label in New York. (source: https://www.papercitymag.com/fashion/bach-mai-fashion-designer-houston-vogue-praise-celeb-love)
- 2021: Tessa Thompson wears his gown to the Gotham Awards. (source: https://www.papercitymag.com/fashion/bach-mai-fashion-designer-houston-vogue-praise-celeb-love)
- 2022: Nominated for CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year. (source: https://cfda.com/news/announcing-the-2022-cfda-fashion-awards-nominees-honorees)

### Môi Điên (Tom Trandt (Trần Minh Đạo))

Tom Trandt (Trần Minh Đạo) studied at Parsons and founded Môi Điên in 2016, Tatler Vietnam reports; Vietcetera lists him on Forbes Vietnam’s 30 Under 30 for 2019. The label, known for pared-back, fabric-led pieces, opened Vietnam International Fashion Week in June 2026 with the collection Nguồn.

- Focus: Ready-to-wear
- Based: Vietnam
- Since: 2016
- Makes: Ready-to-wear
- Trained: Parsons

Milestones:
- 2016: Founds Môi Điên. (source: https://www.tatlerasia.com/style/fashion/nowgen-fashion-designer-tom-trandt-moi-đien-bm)
- 18 June 2026: Opens Vietnam International Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 with the collection Nguồn. (source: https://news.tuoitre.vn/vietnam-international-fashion-weeks-21st-season-set-for-june-in-ho-chi-minh-city-103260523163048163.htm)

## Where to see Vietnamese design in person

Vietnam International Fashion Week, run by MultiMedia JSC, is the main stage: it shows spring/summer in Ho Chi Minh City around June and autumn/winter in Hanoi around November. Its [Spring/Summer 2026 edition](https://thecastindex.com/events/vietnam-international-fashion-week-ss26) ran 18–21 June 2026; see the [Asia fashion week calendar](https://thecastindex.com/fashion-weeks/asia) for the next one.

For áo dài in a museum setting, Sĩ Hoàng’s Áo Dài Museum is in Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City. Several labels here sell from their own stores in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

## Questions

### Has a Vietnamese designer shown at Paris Haute Couture Week?

Yes. Phan Huy showed his Spring/Summer 2026 couture collection on the official Paris calendar on 29 January 2026, as a guest of the Fédération; AFP reported it as a first for a Vietnamese designer.

### Is Peter Do Vietnamese?

Peter Do was born in Biên Hòa, Vietnam, moved to Philadelphia at 14 and runs his label from New York. He won the first LVMH Graduate Prize in 2014 and was creative director of Helmut Lang from 2023 to 2024.

### Who are the leading áo dài designers?

Among those with long public records are Minh Hạnh, who won the Fukuoka Prize for Arts and Culture in 2015, Sĩ Hoàng, who opened the Áo Dài Museum in 2014, and Thủy Nguyễn of Thủy Design House.

### When is Vietnam International Fashion Week?

Twice a year: spring/summer in Ho Chi Minh City around June and autumn/winter in Hanoi around November. The Spring/Summer 2026 edition ran 18–21 June 2026 at the Nguyễn Du Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City.

### Which Vietnamese label uses natural dyes?

Kilomet109, founded by Vũ Thảo in Hanoi, makes clothes from cloth that ethnic-minority artisans in Mai Châu and Cao Bằng weave, dye naturally and print with beeswax.

## Sources

- [FHCM — Phan Huy house page](https://www.fhcm.paris/en/house/phan-huy), checked 22 October 2026
- [FashionUnited — Phan Huy (30 January 2026)](https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/phan-huy-the-fashion-prodigy-putting-vietnam-on-the-map/2026013070310), checked 22 October 2026
- [eNCA (AFP) — Vietnamese designer makes history as Paris Haute Couture wraps (January 2026)](https://www.enca.com/lifestyle/vietnam-designer-makes-history-paris-haute-couture-wraps), checked 22 October 2026
- [PETER DO — About (official site)](https://www.peterdo.net/pages/about), checked 22 October 2026
- [LVMH Prize — Peter Do](https://www.lvmhprize.com/en/peter-do), checked 22 October 2026
- [LVMH Prize — 2020 edition](https://www.lvmhprize.com/en/editions/2020), checked 22 October 2026
- [FHCM — Peter Do house page](https://www.fhcm.paris/en/house/peter-do), checked 22 October 2026
- [W Magazine — Peter Do leaves Helmut Lang (November 2024)](https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/peter-do-leaves-helmut-lang-creative-director), checked 22 October 2026
- [Hypebeast — PD-168 launch (September 2025)](https://hypebeast.com/fr/2025/9/peter-do-pd-168-brand-launch-collection-release-info), checked 22 October 2026
- [Fukuoka Prize — Minh Hanh, laureate profile](https://fukuoka-prize.org/en/laureates/detail/a177c0e1-c530-4094-a9eb-3e40d756a30a), checked 22 October 2026
- [British Council Vietnam — Kilomet109 founder wins YCE Fashion/Design 2014](https://www.britishcouncil.vn/en/about/press/kilomet-109-fashion-brand-owner-wins-yce-fashion-design-2014), checked 22 October 2026
- [Viet Nam News — Vietnamese designers at the London Design Biennale (2018)](https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/463606/vietnamese-designers-head-to-london-design-biennale.html), checked 22 October 2026
- [Harvard Asia Center — 2024–25 artists in residence](https://asiacenter.harvard.edu/events/conversation-asia-center-2024-25-artists-residence-ben-reich-and-thao-vu-kilomet109), checked 22 October 2026
- [Viet Nam News — Thủy Nguyễn’s fashion exhibition (November 2020)](https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/804135/female-designer-s-fashion-exhibition-to-open-in-hcm-city.html), checked 22 October 2026
- [Viet Nam News — Áo Dài Museum celebrates its 10th anniversary (2024)](https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1650917/ao-dai-museum-celebrates-10th-anniversary.html), checked 22 October 2026
- [VnExpress International — Fan Bingbing wears Chung Thanh Phong at Cannes (May 2023)](https://e.vnexpress.net/news/style/chinese-actress-fan-bingbing-dons-vietnamese-designer-dress-at-cannes-4607302.html), checked 22 October 2026
- [VietNamNet — Chung Thanh Phong couture show (August 2026)](https://vietnamnet.vn/en/vietnam-s-top-models-headline-chung-thanh-phong-fashion-show-2541641.html), checked 22 October 2026
- [Vietcetera — seven Vietnamese designers](https://vietcetera.com/en/7-of-the-best-designers), checked 22 October 2026
- [Vietnam News Agency — VIFW Fall/Winter 2018 opens](https://vietnam.vnanet.vn/english/fashion-event-opens-a-door-to-the-world-for-vietnamese-brands/410366.html), checked 22 October 2026
- [PaperCity — Bach Mai profile](https://www.papercitymag.com/fashion/bach-mai-fashion-designer-houston-vogue-praise-celeb-love), checked 22 October 2026
- [CFDA — 2022 CFDA Fashion Awards nominees](https://cfda.com/news/announcing-the-2022-cfda-fashion-awards-nominees-honorees), checked 22 October 2026
- [Tatler Vietnam — Tom Trandt and Môi Điên (June 2026)](https://www.tatlerasia.com/style/fashion/nowgen-fashion-designer-tom-trandt-moi-đien-bm), checked 22 October 2026
- [Tuoi Tre News — Vietnam International Fashion Week’s 21st season (2026)](https://news.tuoitre.vn/vietnam-international-fashion-weeks-21st-season-set-for-june-in-ho-chi-minh-city-103260523163048163.htm), checked 22 October 2026