We’re so excited to talk to you about Silk Rise, which is such a beautiful, visual love letter to the Vietnamese American community. Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your creative partner Vĩ Son Trinh, and the origins of Silk Rise? 

My name is Olyvia Chac-Nguyen and I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I am currently a grad student studying Strategic Communications at the University of Oregon. I am also the Creative Director of Silk Rise, and my creative partner Vĩ Son Trinh is the Director of Photography -- I will often refer to him as Anh Vi, because “Anh” means older brother. We are a pair of Vietnamese Americans who are working to create this visual storytelling narrative of second generation Vietnamese folks, and tapping into an idea and narrative that hasn’t really been done yet. 

I remember reaching out to Anh Vĩ on behalf of PYD in 2018 for an interview that focused on his work as a documentarian, but I didn’t actually meet Anh Vĩ face-to-face until early 2019  because of our hectic schedules. When we finally did meet up, I wasn’t sure what to think about Anh Vĩ at first because our tastes in art and creative work are just so different -- my writing perspective versus his documentarian background working with photography, cinematography, and (shooting on) film photography. After talking for a couple of hours over coffee, he sent me a text message saying he wanted to do a photography project combining áo dài and streetwear. His idea stemmed from a winter break trip back home to the Bay Area and seeing that his mom had a collection of dusty áo dài in her closet. They were barely worn, maybe taken out once or twice before they went back into the closet to collect more dust. Anh Vĩ started thinking about how he could modernize the Vietnamese áo dài while also featuring second generation Vietnamese Americans. 

Although we met in January, we didn’t start working on this project until August. We literally took several months’ worth of planning and crammed it into a few days; we had just a little over a week to prepare for our first official photo shoot. We discussed just shooting first and then coming up with a name and titles later, even though I was burning at the fact of not having an identity for the project; it was my eager branding background kicking in. It wasn’t until 30 days and 17 photoshoots later that we came up with the name Silk Rise. 

We are super excited because the launch of the project has triggered people to engage with us and who want to be a part of this. We were shooting in Portland, but Anh Vĩ recently relocated back to the Bay Area, which opens a new window of possibilities and opportunities for us. Whereas PYD focuses on uplifting Southeast Asian diaspora narratives, for Silk Rise, our main requirement is that our models need to be or identify themselves as Vietnamese in some capacity. This is purposeful because we want to create this space for our Vietnamese American community.

One major element of your collection is that all your subjects are wearing áo dài, traditional Vietnamese attire. Can you talk about your own personal relationship to the áo dài, and what it was like to have áo dài as a unifying theme for your models? 

For me personally, I never owned an áo dài because I was always heavy as a kid, and the thought of me going to a seamstress and having them measure me, no -- I wanted to save face and also help my mom save face, because my mom got a lot of flack about my weight. But I always envied the girls and guys who had one. The áo dài is such a beautiful item and wearing it can really help you feel connected to Vietnamese culture, so I finally had an áo dài made for me just this year. It feels kind of full circle because when Anh Vĩ approached me about Silk Rise a year ago, I was so excited but also knew that I had to commit to making and wearing my own áo dài because I’m asking everyone else to wear one -- I had to lead by example. Actually, one of my best friends recently got engaged, and Thomas and his fiancé asked me to help with their engagement ceremony, so I knew I had to get an áo dài as soon as possible. I immediately got on Pinterest and I found this modern áo dài that was like a long t-shirt tunic, which I could easily slip on and also worked with my body shape. Within two weeks (which is unbelievably fast), I had a seamstress tailor me a similar version, white with purple and orange roses, and I wore black leggings underneath to complete the outfit. I felt so beautiful the day that I wore it, and so happy to be able to pull through for my friend. Growing up, a lot of friends never asked me to do anything like this because they knew I didn’t have an áo dài, that I was a bigger girl. With this, I got to celebrate my friend but also myself, and truly felt like I had reinvented a part of myself.  

It’s clear that my own personal experiences shaped how I imagined Silk Rise. Traditionally when you see people wearing áo dài, they just seem very poised and graceful. We wanted to represent the áo dài and the people wearing them in a different way. I wanted this project to be as inclusive as possible, meaning there had to be LGBTQ+ folks, body positivity, things that needed to be lined up properly to fully create an environment and experience where folks could see just how beautiful they look, and truly reflecting and challenging what being Vietnamese American looks like.

I remember a few models who we already confirmed, but were hesitant about doing this project because they were feeling self-conscious about their bodies; even though they had an áo dài, it didn’t mean they actually wanted to wear it and be in front of a camera. I think for many of us, we envision a very specific body type and persona when we think about the áo dài, and being called a model during the photoshoot was uncomfortable for some. So I pushed myself to touch base with the models and help them understand that the most important thing were their individual concepts for the shoots, and what we all wanted to represent through this intersectional lens of art photography and Vietnamese culture. The word “model” was just a word we used to emphasize that they were our “model” of focus.

We were also intentional about shooting with a lot of men. We wanted to find a way to challenge how Asian men, specifically Vietnamese men, are stereotypically portrayed, so we were intentional about showcasing our Vietnamese American male models in a way that redefined Vietnamese American masculinity and beauty. Most people assume that áo dài is meant for women only, but it’s actually a unisex article of clothing. Anh Vĩ and I also wanted to counter the idea that Vietnamese Americans have about áo dài only being worn in the most formal of occasions, so we thought a lot about how we can take the áo dài and make it more urbanized, and to expand the limits of who and when and where áo dài can be worn. For the women, they were represented in a way that was different and strange and new, but we also wanted the same vibe for the men. Vietnamese men tend to be so rigid, and we wanted to portray them as flavorful, independent, less poised and more natural. 

The Silk Rise Instagram feed is stunning, and it seems like there’s a lot of intention behind the shoots and the curation of photos for your feed. Tell us about your creative partnership with Anh Vi, and what your creative process looks like for this project. 

Working with Anh Vĩ has been a new experience for me; so unique and so rewarding, especially since this is a passion project for the both of us. I am used to doing things alone and I would push myself really hard to keep up the pace. A project like Silk Rise requires a lot of teamwork and collaboration and we wanted to set the right creative tone. We’ve learned how to work together and how to balance each other out, but also to appreciate each other’s perspectives. Anh Vĩ became my creative mentor in this process and he was (and is still) really engaged and passionate in sharing his wisdom to me. One of the most memorable things he said to me was “it’s not about the gear, but the idea.” At the time, I was hyper-focused on the equipment we were using, what were we shooting with, whether to use a mirrorless lens, etc. He just shot on the Alpha A77, which is not the latest model, but worked so well for our project. Our resulting photos are powerfully executed and high-quality even though we used standard equipment.

We use mixed media, meaning we are using both film and digital. Anh Vĩ is traditionally a film photographer who shoots in 35mm, but for this project I wanted us to incorporate film and digital, considering the risk of error for film is just so high. He uses film for his other project, “The Stories We Carry,” but with that he has the time and space to really shoot the photos, not to mention there is a very specific style for that series. For Silk Rise, because we had more freedom for art direction and poses and settings, using mixed media expanded our options.

This process really helped me see that the most creative ideas are not necessarily ones that are pre-planned. We still prepped some things like scouting locations, but we let the shoots unfold organically. The second photoshoot we did, with Kathy and Van, was actually supposed to be our first run-through, but we ended up doing a solo project with Nguyet Bui as a warm-up, first. This pilot helped us realize that we needed to open up our concept of áo dài and streetwear, and push the boundaries of still-life. 

The photos that you see on Silk Rise’s Instagram feed reflect photography styles that Anh Vĩ is interested in, especially those who are interested in the queer, the weird, the alternative. Anh Vĩ kept saying that when you’re doing any kind of creative work, don’t just go for the conventional, but rather go for something deeper and find the deeper emotion provoked through these photos. So we never pre-planned anything, we just shot from the hip, which I’ve never done before. For every shoot we had, there was a moment where Anh Vĩ would ask, “Okay Olyvia, what concept do you want to shoot today?” When we are together on the field, we both see something completely different, but it works. Our different perspectives make our photos really stand out.

After Anh Vĩ takes the photos and edits them, I curate them and take care of the social media presence. I try to curate all film or all digital, or if I have to, a mixture of both. I also post in sets of three, and none of the copy is pre-planned because I’m trying to use what Anh Vĩ pushed me to explore: think on the spot, feel the image, and see what comes out in the moment instead of forcing something that you came up with ahead of time. For each set, there is one photo that I choose to caption in Vietnamese; the decision is cultural, but it is also a different way for me to connect with the audience. I wanted this particular responsibility because it helps me think about how I can caption these photos in Vietnamese terms and yet still make it relatable. Some are traditional proverbs, like “Con Rồng Cháu Tiên” (descendants of dragons and fairies) for Anh Vĩ’s set. That photo set had 3 Vietnamese captions because I was feeling extra spicy and inspired that day.

Can you bring us behind the scenes of your photo shoots? How do you work with your subjects? 

Out of the 17 people we shot, only two identified themselves as professional models. Everyone else were people we knew personally or through our networks. For example, we shot Richard Van Le, a transplant to Portland from San Jose, California, and co-owner of the MattaPDX food cart. He loved the project when I told him about it, responding, “Oh my god. I’M. FUCKING. DOWN.” And like a few of the other folks we shot, he didn’t own an áo dài and hadn’t worn one in ages, so being part of this shoot brought back a lot of cultural memories for him. Luckily I had a friend who had 10 male áo dài made for him over the last few years, so we were able to borrow those for the shoots. Most of the girls had their own, but if they didn’t, we had a few friends who helped us source them. 

We also wanted the shoots to be about the models, so we asked everyone to bring things and props that represent their element. For instance, Jeannette (the one with the light pandan green áo dài) plays rugby, so she brought a rugby ball to the shoot. Some of the models had multiple “sets” -- Jeannette had another áo dài that was royal blue and marigold. We really wanted to play to their strengths and that’s why we see Jeanette with rugby, Jennifer with tennis rackets, and you also see Lisa with the basketball. We also used a lot of recurring props: chiếu, an old style red table, bông mai, Pocky, and other common items that were very specific to our childhoods. In terms of location, we only used a studio twice, for the first and last photoshoots. The other shoots took place in various locations across Portland. 

Silk Rise does such a beautiful job of showcasing the power of visual storytelling, using the intersection of art and culture to create new ways for the Vietnamese American diaspora to see themselves, for others to see them. What do you hope your community takes away from seeing your collection?

I think both Anh Vĩ and I agree that we want people to think harder about what it means to be “normal.” Especially with the áo dài, we aren’t picky when it comes to the fabrics that models choose to bring because it shows so much about their personality, who they are, and their personal connection to their áo dài. We wanted to show the áo dài in a new and different light, to take something that is traditionally very rigid and conformed and give it a more unique, contemporary feel. 

Our hope is to keep meeting more individuals and work together to represent their visual narratives. We want everyone who participates in Silk Rise to feel like they are truly a part of our project and our larger mission. Ultimately, Anh Vĩ and I want people to see Silk Rise and to think about their identity, that bending the limits is possible, and if you really want to do a creative project or creative storytelling, to not be afraid and pursue it.

Official Silk Rise Instagram: @silkrise
Email: silkriseproject@gmail.com
Olyvia’s Instagram: @ollycnguyen 
Vi’s Instagram: @visontrinh