Designer Do Van Tri is highly regarded for his ability to tell stories through sophisticated and unique jewelry and fashion accessories. His metal fashion collections have resonated in Vietnam and internationally. In 2014, he also collaborated with designer Long Tran to design shoes for the Mama Monster collection of famous singer Lady Gaga at the New York Spring Summer Fashion Week.
Unlimited creativity from metal
Coming from a family with a tradition of mechanical engineering and machine manufacturing, Do Van Tri graduated from the fashion industry, which seemed unrelated. One day, he suddenly thought, why not bring metal into fashion, making iron and steel also able to tell stories, also able to be soft and feminine. Creativity has no boundaries and artisans never stop breaking through to create a difference.
Designer Do Van Tri
With a unique combination of mechanics and fashion, the young designer has created unique metal fashion products that are highly appreciated by experts. He has become one of the pioneers in the trend of using iron and steel in fashion in Vietnam.
“I have a younger brother studying fashion design in Australia. I designed a metal crown for him and by chance some famous people in the fashion industry noticed it. From then on, I became involved in this profession,” he said. His designs are mainly made from pure gold, silver and brass.
His designs are mainly made from pure gold, silver and brass.
Do Van Tri also added: “I am a person who loves pure Vietnamese culture and tradition. But I do not follow the beaten path, but distill the quintessence, respecting the design rules and traditional techniques. I innovate traditional products on metal materials, but the principle must still adhere to the national character, not hybrid, not destroy the old design”.
Some jewelry is meticulously and delicately crafted by Do Van Tri
According to him, for taking measurements to sew on fabric, as long as the parameters are correct, it can fit the person of the same size. But in mechanics, metal requires high techniques, detailed parameters for each person and careful calculation of movements, the model must be tested many times. Besides, in the mechanical industry, gold plating is toxic, so labor safety is also highly focused.
The inspiration behind “metal can tell stories too”
When making a product with traditional elements (for example, the Queen Mother's Crown of the Ly Dynasty, using the image of a phoenix), Do Van Tri must spend a lot of time researching costumes, history, culture, fine art motifs, and the royal court. Then he thinks about whether the product will be hand-carved, cast, or traditionally gold-plated or silver-plated. This process helps to adhere to ancient techniques as closely as possible.
The crown designed for Truong Thi May, Vietnam's representative at the Miss Universe 2013 pageant.
After all, the most impressive product for him is the crown designed for Truong Thi May, Vietnam's representative in the Miss Universe 2013 contest, in collaboration with designer Thuan Viet. This is also the first stylized Vietnamese crown made entirely of metal, using the lotus motif of the Ly Dynasty.
Following the success, he designed a unique headpiece for Pham Huong. The accessory helped the contestant make a strong impression in the Miss Universe 2015 contest. This design was inspired by the flamingo, matching the costume.
Close-up of Pham Huong's uniquely stylized headdress
Miss Ngoc Chau wore the design "Lac Viet War God" inspired by the image of the Lac bird and bronze drum. All accessories such as crown, shoes, and metal wings were made by designer Do Van Tri.
The designer added: “When I first made the crown, I was criticized by many online historians and the online community for destroying tradition, for being hybrid, for polishing the bronze pot. But thanks to that crown, over the past 10 years, many people have copied it. And my most famous product is the collection of high heels in collaboration with designer Long Tran, which singer Lady Gaga bought the whole set and wore on her tour around the US.”
The high heel collection in collaboration with designer Long Tran was bought by singer Lady Gaga and worn on her tour around the US.
In 2022, designer Do Van Tri personally crafted a unique laurel wreath for the program “Road to Olympia”. In previous years, the laurel leaves were thinner and longer. This time, he decided to make a thorny laurel wreath to show the efforts of the contestants after the Covid-19 pandemic. The material used to make the laurel wreath is 24k gold-plated and was handcrafted in nearly a month.
Sharing his views on the profession, Do Van Tri said: “Any job or profession is important. The important thing is whether you have enough passion and effort or not, do not follow the trend. As for the design profession, talent accounts for 20%, the remaining 40% is effort with the field of study as well as work, full of gossip and thorns, 20% you have to cultivate, learn systematically from school, orientation of lecturers and yourself, the remaining 20% is thanks to luck”.
