Jun 10, 20213 min read

DON’T BE SUCH A BAG

I am a rule-breaker and a risk-taker by nature, deep down inside I know that I am a rioter and a dark person, and it is just getting clearer and clearer with time.

“I am insane, nod!” – that is my favorite quote from the anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” says the designer Viet Do. It shows that all people have complex and sometimes unsettling inner worlds, and I think it is totally normal to admit that – just like Diesel’s “Be Stupid” attitude towards carefreeness. Personally, I think that one of the most satisfying ways to express that kind of complexity is with a creative process. I think for me, fashion or any kind of art and design is an effective tool to tell the world things that you are not really willing to tell or feel uncomfortable to share via word-of-mouth.

I am a rule-breaker and a risk-taker by nature, deep down inside I know that I am a rioter and a dark person, and it is just getting clearer and clearer with time. But somehow, I have been hiding that aspect of me behind a people-pleaser, approachable persona – as many youngsters out there who unfortunately feel the need to hide their true self. If I’m honest, it’s a real tragedy, because I’ve been struggling for so long to find the way to fill the gap between my inner world and the for-show persona. Such an impossible and pointless attempt when you turn away from what you really are. But thanks to fashion and its non-judgemental nature, I am now having a tool to express myself. Your creation can be so dark, so unfriendly, utterly wicked and shocking, even, but in fashion no one cares about that – it’s just you and your brutal truth. And in turn, fashion encourages me not to hide things under my belly anymore, to let things come out so I can live a little more the way I want. Who says fashion has no psychological benefit? It has to me, at least.

Additionally, mysterious and uncanny things have always been a great passion of mine – unsolved mysteries make my imagination and curiosity run wild. Somehow, I think fashion is a very interesting tool for digging into and visualizing that aspect of life. In a way, fashion design and its making process is like Tarot reading – yes, I’m a bit psychic, I believe in unconventional ways of approaching things, too, which could be fascinating in the art and design field – same fun, same excitement, but same uncertainty and same suspicion as well. You will never know the result until you dig your nails into every single possibility and pute verything together – the unexpected result at the end, the moment it reveals itself, that’s the incomparable ecstatic thing to see. Only difference: in fashion, you use materials, shapes and silhouettes instead of Arcana cards, but you get the same therapeutic effect.

“DON’T BE SUCH A BAG” PROJECT

“Don’t make me not a role model because you’re turned on by me." - Billie Fucking Eilish.

"DON'T BE SUCH A BAG" is a handbag collection inspired by male and female genitals, as well as BDSM culture, and self-experiences of Paris’ gay scene, while the material of the bags – faux leather – shows concerns about sustainability and animal cruelty.

The name itself suggests the vibe of the project. It is based on the catch phrase “don’t be such a dick”, or “don’t be such a pussy”, depending on whatever you like. It’s a statement of showing your true self, speaking out your coveted power, sex appeal in the in-the-face manner. The project celebrates boldness, sexual freedom, pride, and human nature. ‘Cause we are what we are, we can't pretend to be something we are not, we can't turn away from what we are.

There are two bags (so far) in the project, that can be chosen entirely based on what you are into and what you are:

XX inspired by female genitals, with the frontal snapped removable flap that can be changed with several colors and materials, like we’re changing our own underwear. XY inspired by male pierced genitals – which shows unapologetically by the shape and details of the bag.