Fashion Creation 2026: Where HSU Young Designers Showcase Their Creative Identity
On the occasion of Hoa Sen University’s 35-year journey of establishment and development, Fashion Creation 2026 provides a platform for young designers to affirm their creative identity, professional competence, and career orientation. With 22 graduation collections and 82 designs, HSU Fashion Design students have translated personal narratives into fashion language, celebrating a defining milestone before stepping into the creative industry.
Founded in 2013, Fashion Creation initially functions as a graduation project defense for Fashion Design students. Over time, the program has been developing into a showcase platform where students present their creative journey, from research and conceptual sketches to completed designs on stage.
22 Collections, 22 Stories Told Through Fashion
Celebrating the 35th anniversary of Hoa Sen University (HSU), Fashion Creation 2026 showcases 22 graduation collections and 82 original designs, providing a platform for Fashion Design students to express their creative identities, demonstrate professional competence, and take their first step into the creative industry.
The collections this year explored a wide range of themes rooted in contemporary life, including the pressures on modern youth, urban living, technological transformation, the digital world, and cultural memory and local identity.
Therefore, various HSU students brought Vietnamese imagery to life through designs inspired by the Mekong Delta, Hanoi’s street culture, the vibrancy of Saigon, and the romantic scenery of Da Lat. Furthermore, many works expanded creative boundaries by drawing inspiration from quantum physics, philosophical meditation, Greek mythology, and diverse art movements, offering bold and thought-provoking interpretations.
Before the runway show, students presented and defended their projects to a panel of experts, including renowned designers, industry professionals, and fashion lecturers. The judging panel noted that this year’s collections demonstrate strong consistency in quality, with marked improvements in silhouette development, material exploration, surface techniques, as well as branding and customer-oriented thinking.
The Distinctive Identity of Young Designers
At Fashion Creation 2026, several collections demonstrated the power of fashion as a storytelling medium.
The First Prize was presented to Ms. Pham Ngoc Nhu Quynh for Golden Daughter – Take 02. Drawing inspiration from the concept of “lá ngọc cành vàng”, the collection examined the invisible burdens often carried by young people under family and societal expectations. Through fractured textures and layered yellow tones, Nhu Quynh reinterpreted a familiar cultural image into a powerful reflection on identity, freedom, and self-worth.
Sharing the Second Prizes at Fashion Creation 2026 were Ms. Phan Nguyen Hoai Thuong with “Quantum Chaos” and Ms. Nguyen Le Minh Anh with “Phong Cách!”.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of wave-particle duality, “Quantum Chaos” translated scientific ideas into fashion through fragmented silhouettes and asymmetrical forms. The collection invited audiences to embrace uncertainty as a source of creativity and personal growth, rather than something to be feared or controlled.
Beyond her success at Fashion Creation 2026, Ms. Phan Nguyen Hoai Thuong has built an impressive portfolio of achievements that highlights her creative potential and professional promise. Her achievements include First Prize at the Future Designer competition, a full scholarship for talented students, the Outstanding Innovation Award at the Pierre Cardin – Young Designers Award 2025, and the championship title at Design-A-Bag 2026 in Hong Kong (China), one of Asia’s notable design competitions.
Meanwhile, inspired by the image of a homeless girl on the streets of Saigon, Ms. Nguyen Le Minh Anh’s “Phong cách!” employed layered composition and a rough, textured surface treatment to reflect the realities of urban life. The collection also posed deeper questions about empathy, social recognition, and the pursuit of self-identity in contemporary society.
Third prize went to Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Uyen with “Hoa Mắt”, blending light, materiality, and lenticular innovation into garments that transform perception in motion, while evolving the Nicoteen brand she began developing in her second year studying at HSU.
Bridging training and hands-on experience in the fashion industry
Besides the graduation projects, Fashion Creation 2026 broadened its showcase with collections by designer Le Kim Thuy, HSU lecturer, and designer Nguyen Lan Anh, winner of Fashion Creation 2024 and founder of LLOLLIPOPA, alongside live competition performances.
Moreover, the event extended into the “Bear Costume Design – Pop Culture Dressing” collaboration between Nikko Saigon Hotel and second-year Fashion Design students, offering hands-on exposure to business requirements, product development, brand building, and target audience research.
Following the creation of the OH Bear mascot by students from the HSU Faculty of Design and Art created the OH Bear mascot, Nikko Saigon Hotel continued its collaboration with HSU by commissioning second-year Fashion Design students to create costume collections for the mascot, to be showcased at Fashion Creation 2026. This partnership, celebrating the hotel’s 15th anniversary, demonstrated a commitment to supporting young creative talents through practical industry projects.
Commending the students’ creativity, Mr. Dawson Tan, General Manager of Nikko Saigon Hotel, emphasized how each design reinterpreted the OH Bear mascot through innovative materials, sculptural forms, and contemporary fashion thinking. He added that the collaboration exemplified the hotel’s “One Harmony” spirit, strengthening the connection between hospitality, education, and the arts while creating meaningful opportunities for young designers to grow with confidence.
Further celebrating the next generation of fashion talent, designer Long Kan, Founder of Vietnam Next-Gen Fashion Era, presented PIONEER privilege cards to promising young designers, creating new pathways for their professional growth. Notably, Ms. Pham Ngoc Nhu Quynh received the PIONEER PLATINUM card, earning the opportunity to showcase her personal collection on a professional runway.
Cultivating industry readiness among aspiring fashion designers
Speaking at the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Huy Nhut, HSU President, emphasized that Fashion Creation had reached its 14th season, marking a proud and continuous journey. He stressed that HSU was the first university in Viet Nam to bring Fashion Design graduation collections to a professional runway, embodying the pioneering spirit of HSU: bringing student work out of theory and onto the stage, where it engages directly with audiences, professionals, and the market. He added that Fashion Creation was not merely a graduation project, but a space where education met practice and young designers began their professional journey.
In today’s fashion industry, where creativity must go hand in hand with technical mastery, production coordination, and branding strategy, graduation projects have become a vital measure of professional readiness.
Fashion Creation highlights how HSU students go beyond creating runway pieces, instead developing thoughtful brand narratives, practical applications, clear target audiences, and forward-looking product concepts. Providing a vital foundation for future careers, this approach equips young designers to enter the industry with a more proactive mindset and refined professional competence.
Through Fashion Creation, the HSU Fashion Design Program reaffirms its commitment to practice-linked training, nurturing creative thinking, professional expertise, and adaptability in an ever-evolving global fashion industry.
Let’s take a closer look at the standout designs from Fashion Creation 2026:
Source: Baovanhoa.vn
