Celebrating its 6th Anniversary this year, Lao Fashion Week is known as the most important and most prestigious international fashion event in Laos, which has created professional platforms for Lao fashion designers to meet and establish networks with well known designers from the international stage. With strong partnership with many international fashion platforms, Lao Fashion Week has brought prominent designers from Laos to many international fashion events and has put Laos onto the international fashion map. With more than 50 fashion designers participating including many well known designers from the international stage, the festive fashion week will also feature Designers Pop-Up Store featuring products and collections from participating designers on sales to public where 10% of the revenue will be donated to Lao Young Designers Project and 10% to be donated to relieve flood victims of the Southern Laos. There will also be workshop on various subjects regarding fashion by well known guest speakers open to general public.
Together with professional fashion designers, Lao Fashion Week also gives funding and opportunities to young talents from Laos each year to produce and showcase their collections both for pre-study and post-study ones. Every year, the Lao Young Designers Project, a non-profit programme of Lao Fashion Week, sends Top 5 young talents from Laos to study and train in various prestigious fashion academies abroad including ESMOD (Paris), NAFA (Singapore), London College of Designs & Fashion (Hanoi), Fashion Institute of the Philippines (Manila), and leading fashion houses in Bangkok (Thailand). The objective of Lao Young Designers Project is to create platforms for young talents in Laos and to also give them opportunities to pursue their dreams in becoming professional in fashion industry. Before the establishment of Lao Fashion Week and Lao Young Designers Project, fashion industry in Laos was merely existed and to become fashion designers for young talents in Laos was just a dream. Today, with strong effort of Lao Fashion Week and its various projects, Lao fashion industry has become part of growing fashion scenes in the region, and to become fashion designers is no longer just a dream to all young talents in Laos.
I am also very excited to see special collections that our young designers create for KRONENBOURG 1664, as well as the ‘Fashion For All’ where five of our young designers work closely with members of Xon Phao Disabled Working Group in collaboration with Mekong Art Initiative. Because fashion is not just about fame and glamours, Lao Fashion Week pioneers various activities in collaboration with many development organisations for people with disabilities.

Behind the glamourous looks of the models on Lao Fashion Week runways there are people with disabilities assisting professional make-artist and hair-stylist team, and behind the production of many Lao designers collection there are talented disabled people working on the details.

I would like to thank all our partners and everyone involved in our projects for Making History together.