Many young fashion designing students and even professional designers can cherish and realize their dreams at FACE, a mini workshop and school established by Japanese designer Ojo Coco two years ago.

FACE, short for “Fashion, Art, Contemporary, Emotion”, also sees the regular presence of several world-famed designers, who meticulously teach the students from the basic to advanced knowledge, update them with the latest techniques as well as impart to them the passion and the professional ethics.

One of them is Japanese professor Shingo Sato, a world-famed designer, who is widely known for his innovative Transformational Reconstruction Cutting,  which means elimination of darting through style lines, and is considered the designer who changes the world’s designing and textile industry by The Financial Times.

Prof. Shingo, founder of the TR Cutting School in Milan, Italy, currently lectures at prestigious fashion schools like the Central Saint Martins, Bunka Fashion, and FIT.

With Prof. Shingo’s meticulous, inspirational guidance, the students at FACE freely indulge in their designing passion, with most sessions being lengthened, despite the lack of space and the sweating heat in the less-than-30m2 ‘fashion workshop’.

The Japanese expert gives the students helpful tips and secrets, such as using ballpoint pens to draw the astute angles more finely, and using duct-tapes to fix the edges of the cloth which can be shredded.

After classes, Shingo usually stays at the workshop to draw paper models for each of the students.

His classes also attract experienced local designers and stylists.

“I’m hugely intrigued by Shingo’s TR Cutting. I know that many famed local fashion schools find it difficult to invite him to teach their students. His classes are really worthwhile, and I feel like I’m touching my dream,” said designer Hoai Tran, who came all the way from Hanoi just to attend Shingo’s classes. 

“The students’ eagerness to learn and gratefulness really move me. Though modern facilities are still lacking at FACE, that doesn’t stop the students from being creative. In Milan and Paris, I usually don’t feel it, as the students there are given so many choices that they don’t really appreciate new lessons,” remarked Shingo.

Along with Prof. Shingo, FACE has also invited several other celebrated designing lecturers like  Julian Roberts from the Royal College of Art in London with his famous Subtraction Cutting technique, which is essentially cutting holes in a large piece of folded fabric working with negative space within the garment that make them hollow, Vietnamese French designer Linda Mai Phung with fashion creativity, and Vietnamese French contemporary artist Truc Anh with fashion illustration.

A new, young batch of designers

Returning to Vietnam from her studies abroad, Ojo Coco, who won a prize at the 2009 Vietnam Collection Grand Prix, was troubled by the nagging preoccupation that local students, even seniors, didn’t gain access to the techniques which are already old in the world, such as the 3D Drapping technique.

“Realizing their great interest in modern techniques, I thought I needed to create a change,” shared Ojo.

Ojo first began with a group of students at her home before moving to an apartment so that it would look more like a class.

Apart from providing her students with the knowledge she had acquired, she invited several more famed designers and fashion lecturers to FACE.

“What I’m most gratified about opening FACE is the wholehearted help from the famed designers, who don’t mind the long distance and meager pays,” Ojo shared.

FACE now has a regular membership of 30-40. The small room is always packed with students who eagerly come to attend theory and practice sessions, and exchange and work together on fashion projects, with practice always counting most at FACE.

After two years, FACE has nurtured a new batch of young designing talents who made it to the Top 5 and Top 10 of local fashion contests. They were also the contests’ youngest short-listed contestants.

Ngo Hoang Kha, 20, is an example. He won the second prize at last year’s Her World Young Designer and was the youngest contestant to enter the final of the 2013 Audi Star Creation.

The contest, organized by the Singaporean Textile & Fashion Federation and aiming to uncover Asian fashion designing talents, attracted 355 participants from 16 countries.

“I consider FACE my second home, where I can freely satisfy my creativity and share even my craziest ideas. FACE also supports me financially in my  studies,” Kha confided.

Another young talent who has trained at FACE is Ngo Khanh Van, 21, who walked away with the best female design prize in the 2012 Rise Above competition, VND100 mil (US$4778,2) and a trip to Paris. Van was also the youngest among the four finalists.

She still remembers vividly the days she worked on her winning Blooming collection, during which she almost spent the whole days at FACE with her partners and friends on designing and sewing.

Others young FACE-trained talents include Giang Tu and Xuan Nuong, who made it to the 2012 Rise Above’s Top 10, Trang Nhung, who won a prize at the 2012 Youth Designer and Thanh Giang, who won the consolation prize at the 2012 Aquafina.

However, the most prized gift FACE gives its students is the clear-cut orientation on which road they will be taking.

“As there’re many branches in fashion designing, we aren’t sure which we’re really passionate about and suits us most until we do it in practice at FACE,” said designer Dong Nguyen.

“In developing countries, such organizations as FACE play a crucial role in connecting local students with the world’s fashion industry. Good designers are supposed to create their distinctive styles, not merely copy those from the US, France or Japan. The students at FACE are striving hard to do this,” remarked Truc Anh, Vietnamese French contemporary artist.