Entrepreneur Pham Huy Can, Founder of DMC Design and Service Company Limited: Renew yourself

The Return of the “New Gen”

Although he is not a strange face to the media as well as fashion enthusiasts at home and abroad, over the past year, Mr. Pham Huy Can has had many strange things.

It comes from his change. It is a change in appearance, from hairstyle to more youthful and dynamic dressing style... All these changes are to serve the intention of re-launching the DMC brand for young people: youthful, but still maintaining the criteria of luxury and elegance.

At first, he also found it inappropriate and impossible, but when he renewed himself, he felt very satisfied. “That is a very interesting thing in life. It shows that, at any age, each individual can renew themselves, with a more youthful style. And the youthful trend is being applied by global brands. All brands that were previously only for middle-aged people are now being rejuvenated,” he shared.

The DMC brand's re-emergence in the Vietnamese fashion market is at the right time, in line with the spirit of Founder and designer Do Manh Cuong.

A series of top beauties of Vbiz and designer Do Manh Cuong brought back DMC - the brand associated with his name, with a new look. The designer hopes to bring new designs to reach young people who love fashion, but can still be suitable for older people who love youthfulness and dynamism.

Former actress Diem My wore an outfit for the first time that was appropriate for a girl's age, combining a low-neck dress with a long blazer and boots. Miss Giang My also appeared with a youthful image in a white cloud dress, high heels, and many accessories. Meanwhile, Miss H'Hen Nie wore a skirt, a tight T-shirt, a sports jacket, and square-soled leather boots. Model Lan Khue wore a hoodie, a fringed skirt, and used a blue bag as a highlight for her outfit. Notably, fashionisto (male fashionista) Thuan Nguyen, who is U80, said he enjoyed wearing youthful outfits, no less than young men in their twenties.

To officially shine brighter, in mid-October this year, the duo Pham Huy Can - Do Manh Cuong introduced a new collection called Blue Wave, opening the Vietnam International Fashion Week 2024 taking place at Quan Ngua Sports Palace ( Hanoi ).

The designer was inspired to develop the collection from the waves, spreading, to imply: each person can shine in their own way. In this show, Do Manh Cuong introduced 100 designs, performed by 100 models. This is also a record number for a collection introduced within the framework of the Vietnam International Fashion Week event in the past 10 years.

DMC’s first designs for this comeback were revealed 4 months ago. The outfits are made from a variety of materials, such as spandex, cotton, jeans, khaki, wind, knitted…, which are very popular in youth fashion today. The main colors include: black, white, beige, brown…, suitable for all body types, ages, and skin colors.

The designs are mostly loose-fitting, expressing individuality and freedom. In addition, designer Do also has tight dresses, short skirts above the knee, low-neck shirts, tight shirts... showing the seductive beauty of the wearer. This is also a rare time that Do Manh Cuong brings a sexy spirit into his designs.

In addition, unique combinations, for example, hoodies with fringed skirts, sports jackets with crop tops or skirts... bring interesting contrasts, blending personality and femininity. Some designs are unisex, for both men and women.

Some of the features of Do Manh Cuong's previous designs are also exploited with DMC, in which the first designs stand out with 3D flowers, asymmetrical shapes. The fringes are developed with large sizes, looking cooler, but still soft.

After 4 years, the SIXDO brand has developed steadily with 70 stores nationwide, has a stable customer base, and is well recognized in the market. Therefore, Mr. Pham Huy Can set a new development goal, wanting to completely separate SIXDO customers, so he decided to bring DMC back.

Since the birth of SIXDO, the “pair” has temporarily suspended DMC’s activities to focus entirely on this goal. But both of them believe that DMC is always present in the minds of fashion lovers, because the costumes from the previous DMC stage are still used a lot by them. Therefore, despite the interruption, DMC is always a long-lasting connection, and the glue is the spirit, value and contribution of Do Manh Cuong.

According to Mr. Can, up to now, Do Manh Cuong's product lines have always been feminine and luxurious. Meanwhile, Cuong's creativity is still very much alive. Cuong's everyday style clearly shows that. Bringing DMC back also creates a new space for Cuong to explore and pursue new things.

DMC stores are present in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Vung Tau, Dong Nai. In the near future, the chain of stores will continue to develop nationwide, as SIXDO has done.

From getting acquainted, to explosive expectations

To bring DMC back, the “perfect duo” Pham Huy Can and Do Manh Cuong spent a year researching the market before making the decision. Both of them realized that there were certain advantages. For example, young Vietnamese people are increasingly taking care of their appearance and are interested in fashion; domestic brands are also more popular… However, this comeback needs time for the brand to get acquainted with the public, then it will reach the explosive stage. Mr. Can hopes that all of this will happen within the next year.

The question is, DMC is "dressed in a new outfit" with a unique, youthful, sexy style, but still has a strong minimalist, luxurious mark..., are these elements in conflict with each other, and how to balance those elements?

“We do not see any opposition in this orientation,” Mr. Can affirmed.

According to him, minimalism and luxury have always been the first two factors when mentioning Do Manh Cuong's fashion over the years. Therefore, no matter which path it develops, these two factors are still maintained. Many people assume that personality must have many details, be bold, cut out..., but the brand's founder and designer does not think so. Simplicity, but still personality is what is difficult to express. For example, DMC's costumes have very few patterns, but focus on handling the shape, material, creating moderate highlights...

Even though inspired by sports style, DMC still has 3D flowers, fancy skirts... All because they want to create breakthrough products, different from the general flow, which can be summed up in the phrase "New Gen", meaning pioneering and outstanding.

To reach a younger customer segment means having to compete with young Gen Z designers - today's rebellious fashion personalities.

Mr. Can said that Do Manh Cuong had done those things since he returned to Vietnam from France. However, the cultural and social context and open-mindedness at that time were not the same as now. Therefore, DMC's reappearance at the present time is like "a fish in water".

Moreover, this “couple” has been on a journey of nearly 20 years with fashion, and has also tasted all the “spices”. Therefore, putting themselves in a comparison or a scale would be very lame.

“I think competition is not the final factor for a brand to survive in the market, but it must be identity and distinction. We focus more on developing our internal strength, combined with market observation,” Mr. Pham Huy Can shared.

Through this relaunch of the brand, he and the designer hope their voices will reach young people and also create conditions for older people who love youthfulness to experience. Breaking down borders, frameworks, and barriers is what both want to say through their designs.

In just a few months, the first DMC designs introduced to friends, relatives, and close customers received many unexpected reactions. Some people were quite hesitant because they had never tried it before, but by combining many accessories, they gradually felt more comfortable and caught up.

These reactions are completely natural with any change. DMC needs more time to observe its customers, both old and new, to take appropriate next steps. Of course, the creation and preparation for new collections are still ongoing. To be successful in the market, it is necessary to grasp what customers need, reconcile with what you want to convey, and not lose your personal identity. Finally, with many years of experience in the market, products with many advantages in materials, uniqueness... are factors that make Mr. Can confident that DMC will have a favorable start.

In recent times, the “viral” phenomenon (spreading, rapidly popularizing) from DMC has become a memorable key point for this brand rejuvenation strategy. However, the final destination of the clothing is still the market, the real consumption of customers. The number of products sold, the number of users increasing over time… are the best factors to measure the effectiveness of the strategy.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/businessman-pham-huy-can-nha-sang-lap-cong-ty-tnhh-thiet-ke-va-dich-vu-dmc-tu-lam-moi-chinh-minh-d231802.html