LACQUER – When the “flag” becomes the haute craft language of Vietnam in Milan

On 28 September 2025 at Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026, one of the four fashion capitals of the world, fashion designer Phan Đăng Hoàng will officially present his new collection, LACQUER. This marks the second consecutive year a Vietnamese brand has been included in the official schedule of this prestigious event. Ahead of the show, a press conference was held on 11 September in Ho Chi Minh City, creating an atmosphere that was both solemn and deeply infused with pride. What people saw was not only a young designer with a two-year-old label, but the aspirations of an entire generation seeking to bring Vietnamese fashion to the world through its own authentic language.

Original Vietnamese version available here: Đọc bài viết tiếng Việt

The name “Lacquer” not only echoes “lá cờ” (the flag) but also embodies the spirit of “sơn mài” (lacquer art) a medium defined by depth, layers and enduring patience. The flag is the distilled symbol of identity; lacquer is the emblem of craftsmanship. When these two ideas converge, they form a declaration: Vietnam can stand firmly on the global stage through the refinement of its past and the strength of its present.

A year ago, in September 2024, Hoàng made his debut at Milan Fashion Week with the collection CERAMICS, inspired by the silk paintings of Nguyễn Phan Chánh. CERAMICS made a strong impression for its evocation of folk spirit, ceramic textures and muted, nostalgic tones. It was the first time a Vietnamese fashion designer had presented a personal brand at one of the world’s four major fashion capitals. CERAMICS was like an opening chapter, affirming that Vietnamese identity could become a contemporary fashion language. From that foundation, Hoàng has now “seized the momentum” with his return this year – LACQUER – continuing his artistic DNA while raising the creative stakes.

Phan Đăng Hoàng admitted that appearing at Milan Fashion Week alongside houses with long-established legacies such as Gucci and Fendi, and those that have carved strong reputations over decades such as DSquared2 and Diesel, carries immense pressure. But rather than avoiding comparison, he chose to move forward with bold creativity and rigorous discipline. If CERAMICS delved into the nostalgia of Vietnamese rural life through the paintings of Nguyễn Phan Chánh, then LACQUER takes inspiration from the lacquer works of Nguyễn Gia Trí, the pioneer who brought traditional “sơn mài” into modern fine art.

Coming from a family with a deep love of painting, Hoàng was moved from an early age by Nguyễn Gia Trí’s art. That resonance led him to see lacquer not just as a medium but as a language to convey ambition. The paintings of village ponds, temple courtyards, bamboo groves and ancient banyan trees did not merely reflect Vietnam’s cultural beauty; they embodied dedication, patience and layered complexity – qualities Hoàng now seeks to translate into fashion. For him, each design is not about recreating motifs, but about “translating” lacquer into silhouettes, construction techniques and bursts of colour. The LACQUER collection comprises 30 designs, rooted in basic artistic forms yet telling stories that are “both still and dynamic, simplicity layered with depth”.

This time, colour becomes Hoàng’s “second language”. In Italy, audiences are accustomed to vibrant, layered palettes, while Vietnamese wearers often remain faithful to monochrome tones. Hoàng aims to disrupt that habit with hot, energetic shades, especially red and yellow evoking the national flag during the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s Independence, alongside other vivid hues that sharply distinguish LACQUER from his earlier work. The collection is therefore both personal – a designer who loves colour and tells stories through it – and communal – a collection flowing with national pride. Each piece is not merely an aesthetic experiment but a narrative of people, landscapes and aspirations, illuminated under the lights of Milan’s runway.

Equally, craftsmanship is the thread running through LACQUER. Fabrics are treated like layers of lacquer, requiring multiple meticulous processes to achieve durability, sheen and depth. Hand-constructed silhouettes, silent seams and cuts that “align with light” transform LACQUER into a manifesto of haute craft. Hoàng does not want fashion to be only seen; he wants audiences to feel the weight of the artisan’s hands, the patience of manual labour and the true luxury of technique.

Immediately after the press conference, I was asked how I felt after following two seasons of Milan Fashion Week with Phan Đăng Hoàng and Hangsilk. My answer came naturally: “I was genuinely moved and proud. Not only because a Vietnamese designer has reached one of the world’s most prestigious stages, but because they have persistently carried Vietnamese materials, stories and values to an international audience. This is not just a fashion show, but a confirmation that Vietnamese culture can stand alongside global trends – both authentic and contemporary”.

Behind Hoàng stands Hangsilk, a brand that does more than sell fabrics – it co-creates fashion language. Lãnh Mỹ A, silk and đũi, once familiar, are now restructured and revitalised in tone to become integral to LACQUER. In her remarks at the press conference, Hằng Lưu, founder of Hangsilk, spoke with pride but also honesty: mulberry harvests have failed, quả mặc nưa – a natural dye for Lãnh Mỹ A – is scarce, the younger generation of weavers is few and inexperienced, while master artisans have grown old. This underscores that LACQUER is not a romanticised vision of craft villages, but a pledge to safeguard cultural supply chains – for art can only endure when tied to reality, and fashion is only sustainable when rooted in strong origins. As I added: “The distinction of Hangsilk lies not in selling textiles alone, but in bringing cultural spirit, innovating from traditional silk and fibres, researching patterns linked to Vietnamese identity, and collaborating with local brands to craft unique stories”.

Stylist Kanta Nguyễn, Hằng’s collaborator for over a decade, emphasised that this is a forward-looking project with high applicability. The outfits worn by singers Thu Thủy and Đoan Trang at the press conference were proof that art can enter daily life, move between stage and street, and be worn and felt, not just pinned on a moodboard. Art has value only when it touches the wearer, and this is how Hoàng and Hangsilk maintain balance: creating shows to build language, and selling garments to sustain it.

For the first time in his career, Phan Đăng Hoàng has included menswear in his collection. This is not merely product expansion but a strategic shift. Menswear demands precise construction, disciplined silhouettes and the ability to engage with the global market, where suits and overcoats are the “native tongue”. When a young brand speaks “menswear” fluently, it signals entry not only into the living rooms but also the boardrooms of global fashion.

LACQUER, therefore, is not simply a collection. It is a flag constructed from fabric, silhouette and craftsmanship – a flag that flies without wind, powered by intrinsic strength. If CERAMICS was the “foundation stone” of the Made in Vietnam journey, then LACQUER is the “flag of affirmation” – a blazing emblem in the global current. On 28 September in Milan, when LACQUER takes the stage, audiences will witness not only a fashion show but a declaration: Vietnam does not step into the world through the noise of logos, but through the quiet depth of haute craft. And that is the path of longevity: a brand two years old, carrying an ambition worthy of a century.

Text: NGUYỄN CÔNG MINH – Founder & CEO, NỮ DOANH NHÂN Magazine

Read more: