For the first time, two young Vietnamese contenders, Vu Ta Linh and Ngo Hoang Kha, entered the Star Creation final, a prestigious Asian fashion design contest.

Linh, 26, from Hanoi and Kha, 20, from Ho Chi Minh City, both accentuated their daring innovation and high practicality in their contesting collections.

The contest, held annually by the Singapore Textile and Fashion Federation as part of the Asian Fashion Festival, is themed ‘InspirAsian’ this year.

Linh’s contesting collection, called ‘The Contour,’ features autumn and winter  designs for females.

Inspired by the iconic terraced fields in northern mountainous Sapa town, one of Vietnam’s popular tourist attractions, his collection is set to entrance viewers with wavy curves and the natural color of rice.

Its allure also lies in the sharp contrast regarding shapes, colors and materials, which come in a wide variety, including leather, wool, silk and raw silk.

Linh added that he also made use of traditional techniques such as quilting, embroidery and patching in his items.

Meanwhile, Kha, who had learned of the competition via the mass media, including Tuoi Tre newspaper, boasts an innovative female collection called the ‘Conservative Entity,’ for which he has yet to find a better name.

“Solidarity is one of Asians’ dominant characteristics. Yet solidarity sometimes leads to mental conservativeness. Asia is composed of different people with different personalities, who are, however, closely linked to form a painting,” Kha shared.

Kha’s assortment is the convergence of various dots to form a 3D digital picture.

Captivated by the photo dots’ horizontal stripes, Kha harnessed this image to express the dots’ liberality when they aren’t restricted by the photo frame.

“Through my work, I hope to convey my aspiration to set free the ego to form a new, liberal image of Asia with the photo dots bursting out,” Kha elaborated.

Apart from the shapes, this gifted designer also highlighted the patterns and drawings of his pieces to give the audiences the feeling that the images are constantly moving, just like a 3D picture or screen.

He thus chose fabric with 3D images printed on it and made the most of several experimental effects to convey his inventive idea.

Though Linh’s and Kha’s works are both characterized by innovation and originality, their authors make sure that they are highly practical and have commercial applications, as the contest requires.

The 2013 Star Creation final will see fierce competition among 12 fashion stylists picked from 355 entries from 16 countries and territories.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea each boast two finalists, while China, Japan, Mongolia and Thailand  have one each.

The final is set to take place at the Tent@Marian Promenade on May 13. Its winner will pocket a prize worth 10,000 Singaporean dollars and earn a one-year contract at the Singapore F J Benjamin Fashion Corporation along with having their work featured at next year’s contest.

Another prize for a young promising designer, worth 10,000 Singaporean dollars and sponsored by Audi, will also be handed out.

This is the fourth year Singapore has held this contest and the second year Vietnamese contestants have entered its final. In 2011, young Vietnamese designer Ngo Quynh Phuong made her way to the final with a highly-acclaimed work, but failed to win any prizes.