Cory Dung Tran, a Vietnamese-origin fashion designer in New York, said that the winner of the Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2011, Hoang Thuy has conditions to become an international model. However, Hoang Thuy and other Vietnamese models need opportunities to go to the world.
Cory Dung Tran is the one who helped bring several Vietnamese models –
Ngoc Thach, Hoang Thuy and Tuyet Lan – to the recent New York Fashion
Week. He talked with local newspapers about Vietnamese models.
You helped Vietnamese models to appear at the New York Fashion
Week 2012. Do you think that these models meet with standards of
international models?
The working environment of models in the US and developed countries in
general is more competitive and with more pressure than in Vietnam. I
carefully observed the three Vietnamese models on the New York catwalk.
They exerted great effort to show themselves and to not lag behind
foreign models. With that effort, they really shone.
Hoang Thuy
However, they need a long-term training process to meet standards of
international models and to get familiar with the competitive working
environment abroad.
What do you think about the comment that Vietnamese models are
incapable to appear at international fashion events, for example the New
York Fashion Week?
It is not about their ability but whether they have opportunities and
meet conditions or not. In Vietnam, Thanh Hang satisfies standards of
international supermodels but she has not had chance to perform overseas
and her seniority is quite high. If she was discovered early, I believe
that Thanh Hang would have an opportunity to become an international
supermodel.
Many Vietnamese models desire to enter the world fashion market. What do you think about their road?
Vietnamese models Huyen Trang, Tuyet Lan, Hoang Thuy and Ngoc Thach have
confidently showed themselves at New York catwalks. I believe that the
experience they learnt from these shows would pave the way for their
modeling career.
To go far, they have to experience more challenges and train themselves, like the case of Chinese supermodel Liu Wen.
What is your advice for Vietnamese models?
Besides passion, they need to equip themselves with knowledge about the world fashion industry.
Most foreign models start their career at the age of 14, while it is
18-19 or even 20-21 for Vietnamese models. They mainly perform by their
instinct, at the guidance of senior models or learn themselves from
fashion channels like the FTV.
To have a chance to enter the international fashion market, Vietnamese
models must be employed by prestigious modeling agencies in the world
and to be known by foreign designers.
What do you think about the fashion industry of Vietnam?
Thanh Hang
Vietnam has made great progress compared to the previous decade but it
is a long way for Vietnam to integrate into the international fashion
market.
I hope that I and other designers can gradually introduce outstanding
models of Vietnam to the world. If we are patient to place each brick,
we will have international supermodels in the near future.
What is your future plan?
I’m about to introduce ready-to-wear collections. I’m also preparing for
fashion shows in Miami, Vegas Fashion Week, etc. I hope that I will
quickly present my latest collection at the Couture New York Fashion
Week this September.
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