Evolving Tradition

Vietnamese designer Tom Trandt has recently been appointed the new art director of lacquerware brand Hanoia, the move cementing the beloved homeware brand’s segue into contemporary fashion. A Parsons alumnus, Trandt (whose Vietnamese name is Trần Minh Đạo) has established himself as a new and exciting voice in Vietnamese fashion since he moved back from New York in 2016 and established Môi Điên (the name translates to ‘mad lips’, meaning ‘outspoken’), his unisex label that has become a favourite among Vietnam’s alternative musicians, artists and writers and their fans.

‘The interweaving between functionality and aesthetics and how we can harmonise time-honoured craft with contemporary universality — that’s something I want to convey with my collections for Hanoia,’ Trandt says. ‘The partnership with Hanoia came from our mutual love for new challenges.’Whereas fashion represents Hanoia’s ambition to bring lacquer craft into other aspects of life,Trandt considers the assignment a test of his abilities as a designer. ‘It’s still quite rare that an established design house in Vietnam appoints a designer from another label as their art director or creative director,’ Trandt explains. ‘So the opportunity to work with Hanoia, to build and develop their fashion line from scratch, is something I find personally transformative. It demands flexibility; I need to consider how I can translate the values and identity so intrinsic to my own design philosophy into a brand whose voice is already defined.’

For Spring/Summer 2023, his first major collection for Hanoia,Trandt decided that the vibrancy of colours and the sheen of fabrics should be highlighted — a continuation and reflection of the brand’s refined lacquerware. A blossoming flower, an air of naturalness and effortless femininity are the qualities infused in the designer’s idea of the ‘Hanoia woman’. Thus, with billowing pleats, soft silk and fine lacquer brooches adorning collars, Trandt’s first collection for Hanoia offers a singular sensibility he says is ‘not easily available in other local or international labels, but appeals to fashion enthusiasts looking for something special’.

That special something — inspired by Vietnam but quite subtle, almost conceptual — is what Trandt and the Hanoia team consider to be the key to the brand’s success in international markets. ‘I think the spirit of modernity can be found in, inspired by or rooted in tradition. There’s a reason why some things are still considered timeless until today,’ Trandt says. ‘I find the process of translating traditional Vietnamese values, which Hanoia already does with its line of contemporary lacquerware, into beautiful clothing for everyday life something quite natural. The youthfulness in my collection is an exact reflection of how I feel nowadays. Thanks to my work with Hanoia, these days I’ve found Ho Chi Minh as invigorating as the time I spent as a fashion student in New York. Everywhere I look, there’s inspiration.’