In Conversation With Sustainable Fashion Designer Ngọc Hà Thu Lê

Celebrating the Year of the Tiger, TimberlandⓇ's debut sustainable Lunar New Year collection has hit stores. Inspired by natural camouflage, the collection is designed in collaboration with Vietnamese sustainable fashion designer Ngọc Hà Thu Lê who secured the opportunity as the winner of the Redress Design Award 2020 Menswear category.

In this edition of GREENEXT In Conversation With, we caught up with the young designer behind the collection on her views towards sustainable fashion and the experience working with the VF and Timberland teams.

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê is the winner of the Redress Design Award 2020 menswear category. She holds a Higher National Diploma in Fashion and Textiles from the London College for Design and Fashion. She is currently working as a freelance designer.

GREENEXT:

What got you into sustainable fashion?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

Growing up I've always been very passionate about designing and being creative. And when I was in high school, I joined a fashion design club, as well as an environmental club. That was the beginning of my journey to explore fashion and its impact on the environment.

One of the defining moment for me is after reading Eco Fashion, written by Sass Brown, professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology In New York, the book sparked my interest in combining my passion together with the willingness to have a positive impact on the environment.

And that was also when I learnt about the fact that the fashion industry is one of the ugliest polluters to our environment, especially when the rapid development and popularity of fast fashion.

GREENEXT:

What role do you think designers should play in fashion sustainability?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

It is estimated that around 80% of a product's environmental impact is locked in at its design stage. For me, I think designers are not only the creators of products, we can also be the creators of a new system to approach more circularity.

In some sense, everything starts with us, from sourcing materials and pattern design, to the creation and consideration of user and disposal after use.

“I believe designers are also playing an important role in educating the consumers, to start conversations with them and to free them from the role of being just consumers, but also as makers and pioneers in the sustainable fashion movement. ”

— Ngọc Hà Thu Lê

GREENEXT:

What was it like working with the Timberland team?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

I felt immediately welcomed and included as a member of experienced specialists in the field. Meeting weekly by video call, during the concept development and sketching stages, the Timberland team allowed me the highest degree of creative liberty, challenging me to push against conventional ideas and practices in sustainable fashion.

Whenever I felt uncertain or unsatisfied with my work, we would come together as a team to devise concrete solutions.

GREENEXT:

Has the experience affected your own design process?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

Each aspect of the collaboration has been formative to my career, providing me with lessons that I have incorporated in my own work. Before this project, much of what I knew about the field was theoretical, and what little of that theory I had been able to put into practice was restricted to smaller scale, personal projects.

Besides designing with Timberland, I was involved extensively in the sourcing process and gained valuable insights into sourcing sustainable and low-impact materials on a large scale. I also got the opportunity to visit VF partner factories in Vietnam, which provided me with a more pragmatic approach to sustainable fashion that is applicable on a large scale.

I was most impressed with Timberland's CLS (Compatible Layering System) which enables designers to mix-and-match different layers of coats and jackets giving the customer garments that are fully versatile across different weather conditions - with interchangeable layers between different garments! I have been inspired to utilise and innovate CLS even further in my own designs.

GREENEXT:

What are you most proud of in your final Timberland design?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

Working with Timberland to design the 'pinnacle piece' for the Lunar New Year 2022 collection has been a great privilege. Despite numerous challenges posed by a global pandemic, this collaboration has provided me with inspiration and invaluable industry knowledge, helped me grow as a designer, and reaffirmed my commitment to sustainability in fashion.

My final design is a 3-in-1 parka and accompanying backpack with a bold and dynamic white tiger pattern. Worn as one multi-purpose unit or as practical separates, the parka has endless combinations for diverse activities and living conditions. I'm most proud that I was able to combine Timberland's heritage with my own touch, upgrading an existing design to create a better product. For example, taking inspiration from the white tiger's agility, I wanted to increase the mobility of the garment, looking into alterations in the joint areas - elbow, knee, shoulder point. I discovered that in previous versions of Timberland's military-inspired fishtail parka, the liner usually features half opened armpits, and decided to incorporate this detail in my design.

GREENEXT:

Any highlights during the design process?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

One of the highlights working with Timberland's team on this collaboration is that they actually sent me a box of the material samples, including a lot of details like trims, buttons, labels, etc. It was really like opening a Christmas present, I mean for designers, being able to feel the touch and handle of the materials you have is providing a tons of inspiration, which always bring me excitement.

Quite a few of the samples they sent to me are made of sustainable materials, or are recycled, the details are making a huge impact as well when it comes to actual industry production. So motivated by this experience, I am now also working on sourcing buttons made from recycled materials for my own fashion label.

GREENEXT:

The 12th cycle of the Redress Design Award is now seeking global entries, to vie for a varity of coveted prizes, including an exciting design collaboration with VF Corporation. As a winner of the competition, do you have any advice for designers who'd like to apply for the Award this year?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

I would say the Redress Design Award Pathway Course is a very good starting point, as it supports fashion designers to deepen their knowledge of circular fashion design strategies and techniques.

Besides, when you're designing your collection, ask yourself more questions around all details within the whole lifecycle: why do you select this material, can it be easily recycled, how long will the garment last... These are closely related to the circular design strategies and how you implement them into your designs, which I'm sure can make your collection stand out during the competition.

GREENEXT:

What's next for you?

Ngọc Hà Thu Lê:

Through the collaboration with Timberland, I have come to appreciate the power and influence of an international corporation in its own supply chain and the global industry. I was also inspired to put what I learned into practice and launched my own brand XAVAN Studio this year - a thought I often entertained but never planned to realise. Our first product, the Denim Type II Jacket, is an updated version of the reconstructed kimono jacket in my collection for the Redress Design Award!

Our underlying philosophy is "good things take time" and "doing less but better." All pieces are one of a kind using zero-waste design, high quality deadstock fabrics along with traditional techniques. We are also in talks with local & international artists and fashion brands for future collaborations.

In Conversation With Sustainable Fashion Designer Ngọc Hà Thu Lê

In Conversation With Hong Zheng, Founder of GREENEXT

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