Vietnam Junior Fashion Week 2017 to open in HCM City

The fourth Vietnam Junior Fashion Week 2017, to be held in HCM City from October 13 to 15, will feature clothes for boys and girls by domestic fashion houses and garment companies. - Photo courtesy of the event organizer

More than 150 items of clothing for boys and girls, created by dozens of foreign and domestic fashion houses and garment companies, will be on display.

Most of the ready-to-wear designs use high-quality materials and will be offered at reasonable prices.

Around 90 amateur fashion models aged from four to 15 will be featured.

“The VJFW 2017 will help to promote Vietnamese brand names and sales, said Xuan Lan, one of the members of the event’s organising board.

Lan owns Xuan Lan’s Model Agency, an institute of modelling and acting, which offers training courses for fashion modelling, catwalk and photography.

“We will seek new talent for the catwalk through the VJFW and later help them become professional in the future,” she said.

Organised by a group of fashion designers and stylists in HCM City, the VJFW aims to encourage Vietnamese fashion houses, companies and designers to develop their children’s clothing businesses.

Last year, several thousand parents and children viewed and shared comments on the event’s websites and online forums.

The VJFW 2017 will take place at Gem Centre in District 1’s Nguyen Binh Khiem Street.

Sales

Vietnamese brand names and clothing shops have targeted children and teenage consumers in recent years.

Female designer Bui Minh Trang from Kelly Bui Kids offers limited edition items for children under 12 years old.

Sold in shops in Ha Noi and HCM City, the brand provides clothing in quality materials like lace, silk and taffeta, with accessories such as belts, sunglasses, gloves and fishnet socks.

“Clothes from Kelly Bui Kids are high-end and pricey, over VND1 million (US$45) each, but parents with deep pockets are satisfied,” said Nguyen Thi Nhung, seller at Kelly Bui shop in HCM City’s Vincom Centre in District 1.

According to Nhung, to satisfy the needs of the market, domestic brands are spending more to grab the attention of children and their parents. They have also worked to ensure their services and promotions are the best for customers.

“We plan to launch an online service in the near future,” she said.

Designers for Kim, a brand name owned by young designer Phuc Tran in HCM City, combines simplicity and practicality for boys and girls aged 10 to 14. They use pastel, neon, black and white colours on cotton, linen and denim.

With more than 40 designs each season, Kim’s items sell from VND200,000 ($9) to 500,000 ($22).

Other fashion shops have also upgraded their goods.

Phuong Nguyen Silk and Rabity offer ready-to-wear collections for boys and girls at more than 30 shops in Ha Noi, HCM City, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Da Nang.

Rabity uses silk and satin to highlight the innocence of children who look beautiful in white and cream, while Phuong Nguyen Silk uses cotton and khaki and embroidery in hot colours, such as pearl blue and lemon green, to launch a trend of simple, high-end styles.

While Phuong Nguyen Silk’s popular clothing line starts at VND200,000 ($9), Rabity’s customers should be prepared to pay VND300-1.2 million ($25-$100) per item.

A full range of handbags, scarves, swimwear and jewellery made by local craftspeople are also offered.

“Foreign brandnames such as H&M, Zara and Gap in Ha Noi and HCM City offer new collections for kids and teenagers at reasonable prices every season. They see our market as promising,” said a representative of Rabity.

“Vietnamese brandnames should improve their business to meet consumer demand,” she added.