PARIS – Launching a fashion label was always in the back of Phan Huy cofounder and chief executive officer Steven Doan’s mind.
He’d seen more than his fair share of them over the years, first as a student at London’s Central Saint Martins in styling and menswear design, then while creating editorial features for top fashion publications.
But he “never had that strong sense of womenswear but also the confidence to launch my own,” the stylist told WWD.
That changed when he saw the graduation collection of Phan, a fellow Central Saint Martins alum. Not only was he struck by Doan’s 11-look lineup, which he thought was beautiful with a sense of style and poetry, but also by their complementary backgrounds.
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He saw the collection as a new read on Vietnamese creativity without compromising on a heritage they share and love — and a recipe for success.
Fast forward three years and he was proven right. Doan serves as CEO while Phan concentrates on recasting the traditional conical hat as angular corsetry or using 3D bonding and gold inlays to evoke traditional high-end lacquer painting.
Building a solid clientele across Asia and a handful of placements at high profile events such as the Festival de Cannes or on Miss Universe titleholders saw the brand grow to a team of 70. Seamstresses, embroiderers and pattern-cutters account for around 40 people.
After an off-schedule show in Paris in 2024, the brand was awarded one of the coveted spots on the official couture calendar for the spring 2026 season. At 26, Phan is among the youngest designers to ever hold an official show during couture.
Doan credits their swift success to his cofounder’s knack for parlaying Vietnam’s thousand-year heritage in textile arts and crafts into propositions with a modern sensibility.
“Couture is my childhood dream, what led me into fashion — and the biggest enemy in my career,” quipped Phan. In particular, there’s deep work on fabrics, most developed in-house with an eye toward sustainability.
“We make [most] from scratch, using all the techniques that come from our Vietnamese heritage but we really want to innovate, too,” said Doan. “We believe in slow fashion. We believe in sustainability, and… our brand is make to order only, so we don’t overdo our clothing. So with that, we don’t overuse fabric, but also we don’t have any waste in terms of fabric.”
The designer described his creative universe as “a quiet place where emotions are allowed to breathe,” an imaginary locale “built from memories, silences, and the things we don’t always know how to say.”
Hence silhouettes that lean toward enveloping the body, as if “holding, protecting, revealing [it] when it’s ready,” as Phan put it.
“I work with tension: between softness and control, fragility and strength, intimacy and distance,” he continued. “Every garment carries a feeling, like a trace of touch, a moment suspended in time. This universe is fluid, emotional and human. It exists for those who find beauty in vulnerability, and power in being seen as they truly are.”
In his work, influences come across as impressions rather than overt reinterpretations. Among them are “classical tailoring softened by time, from the poetry of Eastern philosophy, from cinema and art that lingers long after it ends,” he said. “I’m inspired by the way fabric remembers the body, the way clothing can become a shelter, a confession, or a scar.”
For his on-schedule debut, he looked to “Cành Vàng Lá Ngọc,” a treasured artifact of his homeland whose name translates to “The Golden Branch and Jade Leaf.” It’s a nod to ancient floral arrangements made of pure gold and jade but also to those born of aristocratic lineages.
Historical figures such as Vietnam’s crown prince Bảo Long, Empress Nam Phương, and Emperor Khải Định of the Nguyễn dynasty, a period marked by a rich cultural intersection between Vietnam and the Western world, are a nod to the brand’s own ambitions.
In filigree, there’s a palpable desire to combat a view of Vietnam as a country beset by poverty. Not so coincidentally, hard luxury executives have been eyeing it as a market with potential in Southeast Asia.
In addition to its couture line, the three-year old label offers ready-to-wear, focusing on glamorous eveningwear for parties and special occasions for a woman Doan and Phan want to help feel “almost like the sexiness in the confidence…something a little bit over the top, something very glamorous.”
The CEO described that client as “very young, very driven, very daring and [who] loves to wear something new, [loves] color and embroidery.”
The duo currently split their time between London, Paris and Ho Chi Minh City, where they have a showroom.
Plans for a flagship are well underway in the Vietnamese metropolis, but they are considering putting down more permanent roots in Paris. “A store in Paris, hopefully soon,” teased Doan.
