Visiting Vietnam
Understanding
Vietnamese
Fashion
Caren Ho grew up admiring her mother’s sense of style, influenced mainly by the sleek fashion of the early 2000s. As an adult, she has come to emulate her mother’s simplistic yet chic fashion sense and does so in a way that honors her Vietnamese heritage.
As a child, Ho said she used fashion to formulate a sense of identity separate from her culture. She grew up in the Dallas, Fort Worth area and lacked a solid Asian American community until she entered high school.
“I struggled a lot with my identity growing up, like just growing up in Texas where I wasn't really in a diverse area,” Ho said. “I kind of used my sense of style to deviate from my heritage… I didn't grow up with a solid community around me until I was a lot older.”
As she grew older, Ho’s relationship with her family deeply connected her with Vietnamese culture. Because of her parents’ work schedules, she spent the day under the care of her grandmother, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s.
began inheriting many of my grandma's family heirlooms and a lot of my mom's old jewelry,” Ho said. “I became very obsessed with finding pieces that held the same amount of tradition and value but like a modern take.”
Ho said receiving family heirlooms made her feel responsible for sharing her culture with others.
“I think they’re an avenue to understand the world around us and the history that brought us to where we are today,” Ho said. “When I wear these pieces, I feel like a part of my family’s history, and I’m carrying on tradition despite being thousands of miles away.”
Ho’s eyes are on Asian fashion designers who modernize the traditional clothing the women in her family grew up wearing.
Ho said she has noticed a resurgence of modernizing the Ao Dai, Vietnam's national traditional dress. It consists of a long tunic worn over cotton or silk pants, typically worn during Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
“For a long time. It's been like very elaborate, intricate floral designs…but many companies have been making more modern, elevated versions,” Ho said. “I think that's just something I've never seen before, and I'm excited to participate.”
“Because she was always taking care of me, I was completely immersed in my Vietnamese heritage,” Ho said. “I grew up on her cooking, speaking the language, and learning what her life was like before immigrating to America. It built a strong foundation for understanding my identity as a first-generation American.
Now, as a senior at the University of Oklahoma, Ho strives to integrate her heritage into her daily uniform, seeking accessories and silhouettes representing Asian culture. Many of her pieces, such as jade bracelets and gold jewelry, were passed down as heirlooms from her grandmother.
“I didn't realize the cultural significance of jewelry in Asian culture until I got into college, and I
Written by
Shelby Emery