On March 23, LỰU ĐẠN shared a statement that quickly resonated across social media for its honest reflections on Asian identity, diaspora experiences, and cultural pride.
Founded in 2021 by Vietnamese designer Hùng La, LỰU ĐẠN is a luxury label exploring the evolution of Asian identity through fashion, storytelling, and visual culture. Deeply influenced by Asian streetwear aesthetics — especially the spirit of mid-90s Hong Kong cinema — the brand approaches fashion not simply as clothing, but as a way of documenting identity, memory, and resistance.
At the center of the statement were three powerful lines that captured the philosophy behind the brand:
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“Vietnam in my blood. Immigrant hustle in my bones. For years they told us to tone it.”
The first statement reflects Hung La’s personal experience growing up between cultures. Before founding LỰU ĐẠN, he worked at fashion houses like Balenciaga and CELINE, where he was often the only Asian person on the team.
That environment pushed him to adapt and blend into Western culture, sometimes at the cost of suppressing parts of his own identity. Like many children of immigrant backgrounds, Hung has spoken about once distancing himself from his Asian roots in order to fit in more easily. Over time, however, he began reconnecting with the richness of Asian culture and realized the importance of preserving and telling those stories through his work.
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“ALL THE THINGS WE WERE TOLD WERE ‘TOO MUCH’ — TOO LOUD, TOO COLORFUL, TOO ASIAN. THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE THE BEAUTY LIVES.”
The second quote reclaims the stereotypes often attached to Asian identity and transforms them into something empowering. Rather than minimizing cultural expression to gain acceptance, LỰU ĐẠN embraces visibility, intensity, and individuality.
This philosophy can be seen throughout the brand’s visual language. Hung La’s work often draws from the emotional textures of Hong Kong and Japanese cinema — oversized silhouettes, rebellious styling, and characters existing at the edge of belonging. Within that world, “cool” is not simply an aesthetic, but a form of resistance against environments that constantly demand conformity.
Instead of treating Asian identity as something that should be softened or diluted, LỰU ĐẠN presents it as something expressive, complex, and worthy of being seen in full.
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“WE ARE NOT HERE TO DECORATE THE CULTURE, WE’RE HERE TO OWN IT.”
The final statement expands the conversation beyond fashion itself. In an industry where Asians still face invisible barriers and limited representation, Hung La positions LỰU ĐẠN as more than a luxury label — it becomes a statement about ownership and agency.
Speaking with ELLE Vietnam, Hung once shared that he rarely saw Asian role models in fashion while growing up. That absence later became one of the driving forces behind creating LỰU ĐẠN as a space that could help “break the bamboo ceiling” and bring Asian stories and creatives to the forefront.
More than simply referencing Asian culture as inspiration, LỰU ĐẠN insists on creating from lived experience. Through fashion, the brand challenges ideas of assimilation and pushes for a future where Asian identity is not treated as decoration, but recognized as something powerful enough to shape culture itself.