Inspired by Cay Mai ceramics—a decorative pottery tradition that flourished in Southern Vietnam during the late 19th and early 20th centuries—MAI CORE is the graduate collection of Vo Thanh Dat (Leighton Vo). Comprising 12 looks, MAI CORE marks the beginning of LEICER’s creative direction, bridging Vietnamese heritage with contemporary fashion.
New approach to heritage using futuristic fashion
Rather than reproducing the original aesthetics of Cay Mai ceramics, Vo Thanh Dat approaches this cultural heritage through the lens of futuristic fashion. Instead of presenting the past as a closed chapter, MAI CORE explores the possibility that traditional values can continue to exist and be reimagined within a future context.
Developed through extensive research into the defining visual characteristics of Cay Mai ceramics, the collection draws inspiration from distinctive elements such as jade-green glazes, dragon motifs, apricot blossoms, yin-yang roof tiles, the Long Mon motif, peacock motifs, architectural ornamentation, sculptural figurine ensembles, and the artistic heritage of Vu Mieu. These details, traditionally associated with decorative ceramics, are reinterpreted into sculptural lines, structural forms, and silhouettes, creating a design language that is deeply rooted in Vietnamese cultural identity while expressing a distinctly futuristic aesthetic.
Bringing traditional ceramic material to contemporary fashion designs
One of the defining features of MAI CORE is its innovative integration of handcrafted ceramic elements into fashion. Each ceramic component is meticulously crafted by hand and combined with resin and other contemporary materials to create richly textured surfaces that deliver striking visual impact.
Rather than serving merely as decorative embellishments, the ceramic elements become an integral part of each garment’s structure and silhouette. This bold reinterpretation preserves the essence of a long-standing craft tradition while redefining its place within contemporary fashion through a highly creative approach to material innovation.
New immersive experiences through technological application
Beyond its innovative use of materials, the collection also expands the audience’s runway experience through the integration of modern technology. LED lighting effects, mechanical motion systems, and smoke effects are seamlessly incorporated into selected designs, allowing the garments to interact dynamically with the stage environment.
The fusion of traditional craftsmanship with advanced technological solutions creates a captivating multisensory artistic experience. This combination further reinforces the futuristic vision that LEICER has embraced from its very first collection.
A solid foundation behind the identity of LEICER
For Vo Thanh Dat, MAI CORE is both a meaningful graduation project and the foundation upon which the LEICER brand is built. From its debut, the brand has chosen Vietnamese cultural heritage as its primary source of inspiration, approaching it through a contemporary design perspective rather than reproducing tradition in a conventional way. “Each design is conceived as a ‘fragment of memory’ brought back to life, where traditional craftsmanship enters into dialogue with technology and performance art. MAI CORE is my way of retelling the story of heritage through the language of fashion, allowing values that seemingly belong to the past to continue accompanying the present and the future,” shared designer Vo Thanh Dat.
MAI CORE not only introduces a new design language but also reflects the brand’s long-term vision: to bring Vietnamese cultural heritage beyond the confines of preservation and transform it into a source of creative inspiration that resonates with contemporary audiences. In doing so, the collection offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between heritage and fashion—one in which tradition is both preserved and continually reimagined through the language of the future.
As LEICER’s debut collection, MAI CORE marks the beginning of the brand’s journey toward establishing its creative identity. Beyond celebrating the beauty of Cay Mai ceramics, the collection demonstrates how cultural heritage can be seamlessly integrated with contemporary design thinking and performance technology, helping to promote Vietnamese cultural values through a new and innovative creative language.
