Last week in Ho Chi Minh city, the “Conversation: Transformation of Fashion Magazines in Vietnam in the Digital Age” welcomed many young people working in the fashion & creative industry.
With over 10 years of experience in the creative field, Dzung Yoko has witnessed how fashion magazines changed their form from traditional (prints) to digital. In 2013, the digitalisation became evident to him as every client required a holistic approach for commercial projects. As he put it, it was advertising that accelerated the change in the communication industry, which prompted fashion magazines to become more dynamic to catch up.
In the past, fashion magazines were bold, eccentric and distant. Today, when everything is digitised, they are more direct, accessible, appreciable and closer to the readers. Fashion magazines were once considered the “bible” of fashion, the inspiration and the official communication channel for fashion brands. These publications, with sophisticated concepts, were considered abstract art. Now fashion magazines deliver clearer, friendlier and more approachable messages. There is a good balance between fashion direction and branding factors.
The digital age also offers many advantages and extends the platform for fashion magazines. They can even optimise and specialise their presentation style on various online channels to orient and attract readers, taking advantage of the differences between digital and traditional forms of media. For example, special and limited editions are not available on online channels; but there are specialised platforms featuring animated images, videos, popular topics, and more
According to Dzung, fashion magazines follow the trend, but still need to retain their core values, their distinct features and beautiful meaning to be sustainable and be themselves.
The talk is part of a series of events in Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design 2020 presented by RMIT University Vietnam.
Below are some of the images from the event
