Intentions Behind Fashion with Noah Dau

I have always been in awe of what some people are able to create when they have a pen or a brush in their hand. I used to draw and paint every night after school when I was younger, but somehow it never turned into what I had envisioned and eventually I stopped. I was frustrated and furious because my hands weren’t able to create what my mind wanted to. If I’m being completely honest, I believe the frustration and incapability was much due to impatience and has now turned into an incredible amount of respect and admiration of all kinds of artists. The subject I want to touch upon today is very much related to that respect and how I’m sad and somewhat concerned to see so little of it in my favourite industry. Noah Dau, a Vietnamese fashion illustrator told me “fashion is a form of art and craftsmanship, it enhances people’s life” and I want it to continue to be so.

One of my favourite illustartions by Noah.

I came across Noah’s illustrations on Instagram and they made me think about all of this, so I decided to contact him and thankfully he answered me. He truly has a passion for fashion and art and it’s made visible in his work. His family wanted a different career for him but he always continued doing what he loved and that to me, is true dedication, “my heart always turns towards something more explosive and artistic”.

Fashion has an incredibly rich history and it is all recorded through not only photography, but incredible illustrations. Paul Pioret, Madeleine Vionnet and let’s not forget an all time favourite; Coco Chanel. They have all left a mark in the history of fashion, not only through their garments but also through their brave and trendsetting illustrations. They took time and dedication out of their lives to create something unique that they believed others could appreciate and identify themselves with. In my of course subjective opinion, I feel that the importance of the art and craftsmanship behind what we buy and wear are slightly forgotten. For example Noah Dau described his first encounter with Alexander McQueen, “I was mesmerised by the explosion of talent, the delicateness and the creativity that fashion designers express through their couture”, and I couldn’t help but think that many people who would like to see themselves as fashionistas wouldn’t consider this in first place when buying an outfit.  

Noah's interpretation of the Alexander McQueen ruffle jacket.

We live in a digital world filled with endless amounts of brands, fashion bloggers and influencers that show us who we are supposed to be to fit into the world. Me and so many others have of course bought what they saw someone they look up to wear and I’m not saying it’s wrong but the time passed from when you first see an item of clothing to when you buy it and the reasons behind the purchase are maybe not something that you consider. However, if you think about it, just for a second you will most likely realise that a lot of the times you don’t buy something because of its artistic value but because it was worn in an Instagram picture and you just had to have it in that very moment.

Céline, one of my favourite brands, very popular in social media these days. So much talent behind the pieces.

Fashion is still art and a way to express who you are or who you want to be but I think we need to remember the past in order to understand future trends and appreciate the hard work and passion behind something we spend so much money on. I am a marketing student and a blogger, so I’m probably contradicting myself to a certain extent when publishing this as I am basically trained to convince people to buy. However, that’s the reason I wanted to highlight the importance of fashion history and what the illustrations mean. They have always somehow told the consumer what to wear or how to wear it but the sincerity from the consumers point of view feels rather lacking as many don’t really know what they’re actually buying. Fashion and aesthetics are very powerful factors affecting our everyday lives and it’s no wonder we want the latest, but we can’t have the latest without the past. What would fashion have been without Chanel, Dior, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta? The list goes on. Appreciate a piece of clothing like a piece of art, there’s much more to it than your next Instagram post.

So much more than your next instagram post. Noah has captured the Elie Saab magic.

On the other hand, as Noah describes “everything has two sides, people ‘kill’ to be better than they are which can help promote growth or it can create a delusion of what they aspire to be”, fashion does have two sides two it and I don’t think that’s going to change. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say and I guess every single one of us will keep on trying to become our best selves through imitating our idols. I just wish the future holds more appreciation and respect for what actually goes into what you put on your wall as well as the clothes on your back. Noah Dau certainly show that it’s possible through the old means of fashion; illustrations.

The colourful and lovely man behin the illustrations, Noah Dau!