Interview with Designer Mai Lam Asia's Most Stylish Vietnam 2025

For Mai Lam, tradition is not something to be stored away as a treasure, but a living dialogue carried through time expressed in a language the world can see, hear and understand.

Designer Mai Lam continuously builds a bridge between memory and modernity, between layers of Vietnamese culture and the rhythms of contemporary life. When old values seem lost under the dust of time, she gently restores and reinterprets them through non-traditional silhouettes and recurring motifs, most notably the apricot blossom, the flower that bears her name and symbolises her daring spirit.

If it’s not related to fashion, what in the creative field, such as architecture, cinema or technology, has completely changed the way you design?

Mai Lam (ML): Before creating a collection, I always ask myself one central question: what concept and story should I tell this time? Sometimes, the story emerges from historical materials dating back thousands of years. I draw inspiration from ancient architecture, traditional garments, and hair ornaments once worn by our ancestors. These become my muses; elements I reinterpret in a modern language.

Take the “Four Seasons Mai” embroidery technique, for example. Starting from the motif of the apricot blossom, I not only create an artwork but also build an aesthetic system encompassing fashion, interiors and cuisine. In other words, I aim to recreate an entire lifestyle through art. Embroidery is something I am deeply committed to reviving. Traditional hand embroidery in Vietnam is fading, and I want to bring it back; to reach the international market, however, it must be modernised, abstracted and given a 3D dimension.

I also use natural dyeing methods such as tea and coffee dyeing. For me, every detail contributes to the fashion narrative. If I want to evoke nostalgia, I use coffee to achieve a deep, aged tone. For a lighter vintage touch, I dye with tea. Of course, fabric choice is crucial. Tea is the safer option if you want to maintain colour balance.

Above Designer Mai Lam: my personal experiences have made me more attached to the art

Designer Mai Lam: my personal experiences have made me more attached to the art

1 / 1

So can we understand that your current efforts are to bring Vietnamese handicrafts closer to the public?

ML: I’ve realised that handicrafts, especially embroidery, are slowly losing their place in daily life. People no longer make these works for the market. Hand embroidery demands time and patience, but customers are often unwilling to pay for its real worth. As a result, many artisans have left the craft or turned to faster, cheaper methods of production.

Perhaps my personal experiences have made me more attached to the art. When travelling abroad, I often search for gifts for friends and noticed how rare hand-embroidered pieces have become. They were once everywhere, now they’re almost extinct. Most available ones are machine-made, stripped of their original soul.

When it comes to “aesthetic pioneering”, are you deliberately breaking down old structures, or unconsciously opening a new path for yourself?

ML: I wouldn’t call myself a “pioneer” (laughs). Everything unfolds naturally. I simply found inspiration in the embroidery technique itself, I love it and want to honour that distinctly Vietnamese artistry.

I hope my efforts bring a positive ripple. Honestly, I still don’t know how much impact I’ve made (laughs). But seeing the media take notice, and young people coming to me for advice and discussion, makes me feel I’m on the right path.

In fashion today, cultural elements are often used for visual appeal; decoration rather than essence. For me, culture and creation must be inseparable. Even when it’s not explicitly stated in an advertisement, the spirit remains woven into the product itself. That connection is what defines my work.

Above Designer Mai Lam: I want to weave traditional materials and spirit into my designs

Designer Mai Lam: I want to weave traditional materials and spirit into my designs

1 / 1

Fashion is often compared to a language. If you had to translate emotions like nostalgia, resistance or liberation into design, where would you begin?

ML: I want to weave traditional materials and spirit into my designs; that much is clear. But transforming emotions into form is always an intimate, deeply personal process. Family is a part of that inspiration. Even sad memories, once translated into art, become something beautiful.

I remember once visiting a market that sold used military clothing. I bought over 200 pieces, mostly old uniforms. Before doing anything, I washed them all, took them to a temple, recited sutras and asked for holy water. Only then did I begin to work with them. Those uniforms became the canvas for my embroidery.

One shirt was meant for my brother. I embroidered a peach tree on it, though apricot blossoms symbolise me, because the peach tree reminds me of my father. Through that simple motif, I intertwined memories of my brother, my father, and myself.

Finding your own “roots” is the foundation of any creation that stands the test of time.

- Designer Mai Lam -

After all, what makes a designer timeless, even when they no longer create collections?

ML: I always tell young designers and anyone in the arts to find their “roots”. When you understand your roots, your culture, your history, the land that shaped you, that becomes the foundation of your creativity. If we learn to respect and reinterpret those roots in our work, our creations will stand apart and endure.

Above Asia’s Most Stylish is an annual style event by Tatler Asia, bringing together cultural icons, leading stars and influential figures in fashion, art and lifestyle

Asia’s Most Stylish is an annual style event by Tatler Asia, bringing together cultural icons, leading stars and influential figures in fashion, art and lifestyle

1 / 1

Asia’s Most Stylish is an annual style event by Tatler Asia, bringing together cultural icons, leading stars and influential figures in fashion, art and lifestyle. In 2025, Asia’s Most Stylish will be hosted in Vietnam for the first time by Tatler Vietnam – Nha Tap Tinh Hoa – marking a milestone in connecting Vietnam to the Asian fashion map. This is an opportunity to introduce Vietnamese style to the region in its own language: creative, refined and distinctive. The Asia’s Most Stylish 2025 celebration will be held on 16 October 2025, promising to be one of the year’s most anticipated fashion events.

This article is adapted from Tatler Vietnam, September 2025 issue

CREDITS:

Starring: Mai Lam

Editor in Chief: Nikita Chu

Digital Managing Editor: Hong Dang

Art Director: Andy Tran

Photographer: Tran Ngoc Dang Khoa

Stylist: Freddy Nguyen

Stylistic Assistant: Jade Hong Tran, Tien Lam

Producer: Giang Thao

Producer Assistant: Huynh Hai Dang, Giau Le

Photographer Assistant: Gia Phu, Thu Ngo