Meet Phan Huy, the youngest ever and first Vietnamese designer to debut at Haute Couture Fashion week

Entitled The Golden Branch and Jade Leaf, and also referred to as Born of Gold and Jade, the collection’s inspiration is deeply layered. On the surface, the name refers to a rare historical treasure: exquisite ornamental floral artworks crafted by ancient artisans, featuring branches cast from solid gold and leaves carved from genuine jade, of which only three such works remain today. The ethereal columns shimmered down the runway, each bead and golden thread glinting in the light.

This is Phan’s way of casting the spotlight on a rare artisanal heritage of his home country’s storied past. “I know some might find my designs extravagant but I prefer the words ‘soft’ or ‘romantic’,” he says. “I hope that’s what audiences remember about my work, as well as the craftsmanship that goes into each and every piece of the show.”

The phrase “The Golden Branch and Jade Leaf ” is also synonymous with dynastic nobility. In particular, Phan was drawn to key figures of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), Vietnam’s gilded age—in particular, Empress Nam Phuong (1913-1963), whose time in power was marked by its intersection with the west, and her son Crown Prince Bao Long (1936-2007).

Their royal robes were reflected in Phan’s grand silhouettes, while the show itself marked Phan’s first significant dialogue with fans of western couture. A fluted silk gown, for instance, was dripping in what looked like chandelier earrings, while several looks featured a panelled train, like a swing hung from the shoulders by delicate strands of beads.

Rather than serving as overt symbols, these references are subtle. Phan’s dedication to each detail allows the clothes to speak for themselves, like a flirtatious invitation to look a little closer. A fiery red gown modelled by Coco Rocha fluttered down the catwalk: it featured hundreds of petals, each painstakingly cut and edged in tubular beads, that took three months to make.

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This collection is Phan’s most ambitious yet, as the designer seeks to establish new house codes that could become iconoclastic for years to come; but he also pushed the boundaries of his existing motifs.

“The horsehair braid is often relegated for undergarment use in fashion to maintain the structure of a rigid garment,” explains Phan, but he has been determined to elevate the material from the moment he launched his first collection.

This season, horsehair is the main accent on most of his dresses, each strand separated then individually reshaped, spun into looping strands or flared into fans secured onto tulle columns.

Shining the spotlight on oft overlooked or banal details has long been Phan’s instinctive approach. The first Phan Huy show in Paris last year, off-calendar, was inspired by familiar objects found in his childhood garden or kitchen—a paper kite, a bamboo fan or fish traps—and earned him critical acclaim.

“I tend to take inspiration from very simple things in life, approaching them with different creative viewpoints,” he says. “I’m the type of person who sees materials that are not usually used in the fashion industry and wants to create a piece from it.”

Born in a small, bucolic village near the city of Hue in Central Vietnam, Phan recalls looking up to the likes of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli during their tenure at Valentino and aspires to emulate Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry in terms of his ability to “put art above everything else”.

Doan believes Phan’s talent is evident from the moment you see his work. The stylist discovered a 23-year-old Phan presenting his graduating collection in Vietnam. “I grew up in various places around the world and got to see the world with my own eyes; but Phan grew up in a tiny village in Vietnam,” says Doan.

“With his own imagination, he was able to have such an international outlook. He doesn’t even really speak English, so it’s a talent that speaks for itself.” Phan’s success has proved that couture is art, and like art, it transcends age and language.

From the brand’s inception, what made Phan stand out, says Doan, is that he eschewed the heavy embellishment favoured by many Asian couturiers in favour of gauzy fabrics that could achieve the same level of grandeur without the weight. Having worked for years with top couture houses to dress his clients, Doan immediately recognised Phan’s unique vision. Once an aspiring fashion designer himself, Doan studied at Central Saint Martins in London, and spent two years as fashion editor at Elle Vietnam, but never found the courage to start his own label. Then he met Phan, and the rest is history.

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While the brand was founded in 2023, Phan’s designs really took off when Doan invited his friend and client Heart Evangelista, the Filipina actress and model, to walk the brand’s first show in March 2024. Her appearance in a black strapless gown with matching gloves from the Tam Giang Lagoon collection went viral.

Evangelista, who sat front row at the January couture show, gushed about her love affair with Phan and Doan’s work. “They knew they were onto something great when they tapped their love of culture and fashion, and it was so great to witness the house in full bloom while I was in Paris,” she says.

After the show, backstage was humming with well-wishers clamouring to congratulate Phan and Doan. Gingerly caressing the horsehair petals, I was amazed all over again at the masterful manipulation of the material. When it was my turn to shower praise on the duo, I had one last question. Having achieved so much right from the outset, what could possibly be left on the bucket list?

“We’re still a young brand, and we’re so lucky and so humbled to be on the calendar, we’re very proud of that,” says Doan. “Our next goal is maybe to have Ariana Grande or Zendaya wear our clothes, but it would be great to reach people outside of fashion and become a household name globally.” If this debut is anything to go by, the brand is well on its way.

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