HEY! MY PHOTO WAS PUBLISHED IN TORONTO STAR'S TRAVEL SECTION

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Yay!

ER-COUTURE: AN INTERVIEW

Elisabeth Rolskov of ER-Couture is a Danish-born expat living and designing in Vietnam. She has started up shop in Ho Chi Minh City with her brand as an ecological designer and is adding her own personal brand of conscious, class and creativity to the basic yet emerging Vietnamese fashion scene. Here's what she has to say about being an expat-designer in Vietnam.

Tell me about ER-couture and how it got started. Why are you designing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam at the moment?
I have always dreamed about having my own fashion company. This was what I wanted ever since I was a little girl, drawing garments for my paper dolls. I set up my boutique ER-Couture 6 month ago because I accommodate an area in Vietnam where there are little suppliers right now. This is the market in between unknown retailers and high fashion stores like international fashion brands. There are hardly any suppliers in the middle where you can buy affordable high-quality clothing.

You are originally from Denmark. Would you say that your designs and concepts are influenced by where you’re from?
I am indeed influenced by my Danish background but on the other hand I have been living overseas for many years, which is reflective of my designs. After living in Hong Kong, China and Vietnam, I have often found myself in a melting pot of different cultures. I appreciate diversity, and the exposure to varied ethnicities has inspired me to integrate the Asian and Scandinavian design style. My brand ER-couture represents a cultural fusion – distinctive for its unique combination of Western silhouettes & tailoring with Asian details & ornaments.

Can you explain the significance of using natural fabrics in your designs? Would you be considered an eco-friendly designer?
At ER-Couture, we continuously do our utmost to make things last and we never compromise on quality. We select only natural materials for our collections such as silk, wool, cotton, linen and leather. Quality and comfort are keywords at ER-Couture and we never let our customers wear synthetic fabrics!

We care about our customer and in order to reduce chemicals that fabrics often carry, and minimize excess color and shrinkage, we take the effort to wash all fabrics before production. Our philosophy is always to make the most out of our resources and we carefully consider suitable fabrics, designs and cutting methods in order to minimize waste. We also encourage people to do Demi-couture or Made-to-order as we see this as a way of encouraging quality and “slow fashion” over mass-produced disposable fashion. ER-Couture can be custom-made for the same price – which is an offer we provide as it gives us the possibility of greater customer satisfaction and a chance to make our production more environmentally friendly. This is high-end fashion after all, and the design will lose its soul if it’s being mass-produced.


Transmissions Photo shoot


Where do you find your main organic materials? What is the manufacturing process of your work?
Not all our material is certificated organic – we can’t get organic materials in Vietnam and we must therefore import organic materials (you can consider how eco-friendly they actually are after the transportation). We do import some bamboo fabrics from China, which is an organic fiber that we have been very happy to work with.

We mainly use a small sewing team that work for ER-Couture and other smaller shops. In our boutique, we have an excellent tailor who helps us produce samples and custom made garments. This gives us the chance to make perfect samples for the sewing team to follow.

What is the fashion "scene" like at the moment?
I see a market very interested in fashion. Look at the attention towards Fashion TV. The interest for international fashion magazines is also growing and Sunflower Media now has the license to publish "Her World" in Vietnam. Some of the local designers are also very interesting and are especially making beautiful garments with hand-embroidery.




Tell me about your latest collection as well as the expansion of ER-couture in Ho Chi Minh City.
Every season I choose a new inspirational source. This season our Fall/Winter 2010 collection is designed with references to Film Noir’s femme fatale and 1940's exquisite elegance. The 1940's chic, sharp and sophisticated elegance with reference to Hitchcock's female heroines is the theme ER-Couture is embracing which is visible in our feminine, artful drapes and constructed silhouettes. We focus on a feminine figure with exaggeration of waist, hip and shoulders. The overall lady-like look has a slight rock-chic twist visualizing our female heroines aesthetic with use of raw, metal rivets, dramatic zippers and leather.

Following ER-Couture's very successful first six months, we found the need to expand our Ho Chi Minh City boutique. On this occasion we have added an outstanding selection of designer accessories such as jewely, leather bags, belts and shoes. We are also introducing our new fashion line, ER, which follows the same principles of high-quality products as ER-Couture, yet it prioritizes simple design for stylish every-day wear.

I know how crazy and hectic it can often be living in Ho Chi Minh City. How do you clear your head and gain your creativity?
I manage to travel a lot. I go back to Denmark at minimum two times a year and I travel to Hong Kong occasionally.

Where do you see fashion heading in Vietnam in the next 5-10 years or more?
There is still a long way to go if we compare with Singapore and Hong Kong and I think the retail stores are still quite limited. With the huge interest in fashion I think Vietnamese retails have a good change for growth. We are indeed heading towards a more fashion-forward future!



Construction photos from a photo shoot with The Word magazine.

I got sick from food poisoning a lot this past summer in Vietnam. Despite this, I can’t seem to get over how excellent the French restaurants were in Ho Chi Minh City. You probably won’t head to Asia for a couple of French meals, but given the history of Indochina, French cuisine has been integrated into meals of the Vietnamese. High-quality ingredients paired with cheap Southeast Asian prices are pretty sweet for a Westerner who had missed her European food at the 2-month mark. If you’re in HCMC for a long haul like I was, check out the following restaurants a la Français.


Typical means of transportation in Vietnam: motorbikes

The Refinery Vietnam was colonized by France around 1784. As a culinary result, French cuisine impacted Vietnamese styles of cooking all across the board. The Refinery is a hidden restaurant in the deep alleyway-courtyards of Saigon. Although the view is covered by high rise buildings, it’s a good place to get away from the city smog and people. The restaurant actually used to be an abandoned refinery at some point. Meals are pricey for Vietnamese standards; expect to pay around $14 for chicken breast, roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes – a meal I could easily have made myself. Check this place out for its ambiance and bring your friends out for the patio. Don’t forget to go dancing at Vasco’s next door afterwards. 74 Hai Ba Trung, District 1.

Le Jardin Le Jardin is attached to the French Cultural Centre of Saigon (IDECAF) and hosts the cheapest place to eat high-quality French food in the city with dishes going for around $7, plus the wine. The French must really appreciate green spaces because there are tons of plants and grass patches around this area, making for a peaceful getaway from the noisy streets. Not only was Le Jardin two minutes away from my apartment, but the price was something I could not get over. 31 Thai Van Lung, District 1.


David Beckham-esque celebrity endorsements for chicken


Ty Coz Yet another hidden French family-owned restaurant, and possibly the best French food in Southeast Asia! A three-course meal in this home-away-from-home cost around $14 which is a steal of a lifetime. Many of the ingredients are imported, especially the delicate French raw oysters. The French waiter from Lyon explained the entire menu to us which took around 15 minutes; apparently the menu changes daily/weekly. I love fixed price with tons of options. I would kill to come back here and stuff myself into a comatose state. Incognito at first, Ty Coz is located inside of an apartment on the second floor (if my memory serves me correct) at 178/4 Pasteur in District 1, right by the cathedral.


Typical Vietnamese streetwear. NO SUN!


Fanny’s From what I’ve heard, Fanny’s is a French-owned ice cream chain. I haven’t seen it anywhere else in the world, but damn, I wish I had one in my backyard because it is so stupendous. Fanny’s has the craziest flavours like young rice which tastes like rice pudding), chocolate chili, passion fruit, avocado, vanilla macadamia nut, ginger (!!!) and cinnamon. Where can you find cinnamon ice cream in Toronto? Because it's in my TOP 5 BEST ICE CREAM FLAVOUR category. If you are in the area, check out T3 in the Temple Garden building right next door for some of the most intense and delicious DIY barbecuing you’ll ever do. 29-31 Ton That Thiep, District 1.

COME ON BACK TO THE WAR, DON'T BE A TOURIST

San Art Gallery is a new gallery space in the Binh Thanh district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, run by Viet Kieu’s (also known as Vietnamese Overseas) from America. Not only is it an independent, non-profit, artist-run exhibition space, but it’s also a reading room and a host of lecture and international exchange programs.

Artists are slowly emerging and thriving in Ho Chi Minh City along with the indelicate, coarse skyscrapers that are creeping up on the country’s largest city, and San Art is a perfect player in the changing landscape of Vietnam. The fact that San Art is funded by the Vietnam Foundation for the Arts says something about the improving image of Vietnam. Now, Vietnam is following the same steps as its South East Asian brothers and sisters in Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Slowly, but surely.

I discovered San Art in mid-July. The first exhibition I attended was called Blink which ran from June 12 to July 24. Blink illustrates the rise of creative individuals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Nine young contemporary Vietnamese artists graced the gallery walls impressively. What wasn’t so impressive was the “reading room”, which consisted of a wooden chair in the corner of the gallery. A comfy couch might need to provide itself useful in such a budding gallery. But anyways, the magazine and book collection was quite impressive, from back issues of ArtForum and Frieze to many contemporary Asian and Australian mags. Not to mention, the hoard of used international development books and UN reports.

The latest exhibition is entitled Everything Illuminated which runs from August 6 to September 24. Six selected artists respond to works of three senior photographers: Chu Chi Thanh, Doan Cong Tinh and Vo Anh Khanh. Not only are these men successful and recognized photographers, but they were also soldiers during the Vietnam War. Amongst illustrating the horrors of the war, they display the backbone and endurance of the people during this time period.


Left to Right, top to bottom: Hung Tran POV 2009, Kevin German Untitled, Dao Nguyen Thach Thao Untitled 2009, Cu Chi Thanh Jane Fonda Visiting Nam Dinh City 1972.

San Art is truly a unique space in Ho Chi Minh City. The gallery is close in proximity to district 1 but it takes a skilled Xe Om (motorbike) driver to navigate through the broken, half-constructed roads and alleyways in which San Art is placed. With a little time, I can see the neighbourhood of San Art really growing in the next few years, much like the rest of Vietnam. What I feel about that development is maybe controversial, considering I cannot walk anywhere without hearing a drilling, a buzzing, or a hammering in the city.