20 years ago, following an invitation from a friend, Diego Cortizas and Laura Fontan embarked on a journey to Hanoi—one that would change their lives for good. As avid travelers and art lovers, they immersed themselves in the lives of Vietnamese people and discovered a fascination with local textile. Through magnificent weaves, they saw the city’s rich culture and budding potential for great creativity. Charmed, the young Spanish couple very quickly made the decision to move to Hanoi and opened their first atelier-boutique named Chula. Now, Diego and Laura’s brainchild is celebrating 20 years of exquisite creations and artful designs, all produced with a fierce commitment to environmental, social and artistic sustainability.
The name Chula was chosen for several reasons; in Spanish the word means “something unique and cool,” in Vietnamese it sounds like a stylised local name, and internationally, it can easily be said in different languages. This idea serves as the core of their designs, always aiming to produce vivid and unique garments that both pay tribute to Vietnamese culture while also carrying its own sense of cosmopolitan. It is said that Chula’s designs can be spotted almost immediately, and perhaps this is partly thanks to their bold colour choices—never pastel, never beige. Primary colours are used most commonly, as with jewel tones and neon, put together, these shocking colours harmoniously blend into a gown too striking to look away. The other part, certainly, is in the design concept itself.
With an impressive range of collections under their roof, it may come as a surprise that Chula does not abide by the seasonal system that dominates designer industry in the past decades. Instead, creative director Diego had taken a personal approach to fashion as a way to preserve memories: from paying tributes to legendary artists like Salvador Dalí and David Bowie, writing love letters to local lives by incorporating ethnic textiles and cultural symbols such as lanterns or iron gates, to journaling his many adventures around the world with kaleidoscopic prints of his photographs. And yet, with all of these vibrant ideas, Chula’s garments are constructed with clean and precise lines that drape around the body in a languid manner, allowing for practicality and ease of movements, evident of Diego’s background as an architect.
Despite being a Spanish fashion house, Chula has received resounding praises from locals for their Ao Dai. The traditional Vietnamese dress comprises of a tunic cut on both sides paired with trousers. Simple as it may appear to be, its silhouette is effortlessly elegant and flattering, while the large planes of fabric allow for a myriad of patterns, paintings and embroidery. Chula understands the intricacies and nuances of Ao Dai—maintaining its graceful form, they cut around the edges and paint pictures over its surfaces. Using materials and imageries rarely seen before in the Ao Dai design process to create patterns, like rounds of flat buttons and trompe-l’œil necklaces, Chula helps to cement Ao Dai into the fashion sphere, no longer confined to the realm of traditional costumes. As such, Chula sits squarely in the country’s art scene, which is also where their boutiques are located, in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The intimate link between fashion and art is expressed not only in Chula’s designs, but in their shops as well. Often situated in the cities’ art districts, Chula boutiques carry not only clothes but an atmosphere of creativity, with photographs and murals on every wall, resembling a museum.
The Hanoi boutique is modelled after a 19th century Vietnamese house with wooden structure and red brick flooring. Right above the shop is the atelier where production takes place. From designing, cutting, sewing, painting, stamping, embroidering, and attaching to finishing, the entire process is done in-house by the hands of skilled artisans. Customers are also welcomed to witness their garments being brought to life. The decision to prioritise organic creativity over seasonal demands, and human production over machinery enables Chula to boast designs that embody the spirit of “wearable art”.
It is no surprise then that Chula attracts many artists and art lovers as clients, friends, and collaborators. A renaissance man through and through, Creative director Diego Cortizas was a photographer, painter, musician, and was also well-acquainted with Vietnam’s budding art scene. Understanding the importance of a platform for young artists, he used the fashion revenue to host recitals and exhibitions straight from the humble backyard of Chula’s Hanoi boutique. Many indie Vietnamese performers—Le Cat Trong Ly, Le Cat Tien and Dattie Do to name a few—have found a stage in Chula, where they get a chance to perform and connect with their audiences. In addition to these events, Chula also partners with local art galleries, supports art educators, and together they pave the way for local culture to flourish.
“We all have some kind of hidden disabilities, and those with visible disabilities also have hidden treasures and skills. There is no difference between us. We are the same. – Diego Cortizas, 2017.”
But it is not just local artists who Chula fervently and passionately wishes to support, skilled artisans—many of Chula’s production employees—live with physical disabilities. The story began in the early days of the fashion house. While trying to find skilled seamstresses to help with their young start-up, Diego and Laura turned to a local charity-funded trade school for people with impaired hearing. It was there that they met young women who possessed great gifts for dressmaking. Where disabilities are not seen as liability, Chula employs cutters, seamstresses, and dressmakers, each with their own physical challenges and great artistic contributions. Determined to provide their employees with a comfortable work environment, the Chula couple took to learn sign language and required the same of other able members, thus ensuring that all voices can be heard.
Seeing the work that Chula does in ensuring the livelihood and comfort of disabled people, in 2016, businesswoman and activist Theresa Van approached them with an idea for a special fashion show. Van herself living with physical challenges, she wanted to create a space where others like her can see themselves as stylish and beautiful. Dressed in Chula’s colourful designs, disabled models made their way down the runway to flaunt their looks. It is a visual manifestation of Chula’s vision and belief in a society in which no member is left behind.
From the very start, Diego and Laura were staunch believers of slow fashion. By choosing to design when inspiration strikes, ordering limited supplies and producing durable garments in small quantity, Chula does their part in minimising and reducing the waste that the fashion industry has long been known for. Although Chula’s off-the-rack stock is limited, clients can always order pieces that are handmade to size or bespoke, according to the client’s own measurements. This system, while not as fast as other commercial fashion houses, enables great flexibility from the point of view of the clients, allowing everyone to feel included in the Chula space. Some patrons have also customised unique designs from readily available material, thus creating one-of-a-kind garments that let the wearer’s penchant and personality shine through.
One of Chula’s signature motifs is an appliqué of many different patches, usually of ethnic fabric or samples from all around the world. From their travels, the Chula couple amassed a collection of interesting local textiles which they incorporated into Chula’s designs, making each dress a cultural tapestry. Although they only order small quantities of fabric each time to reduce potential waste, Chula employees would collect and keep any remaining scraps from the production process to fashion into a patchwork collection titled Zero Waste. Even with all the firm initiatives to reduce waste from their atelier, Chula keeps pushing forward in pursuit of environmental sustainability. They commit to using as much natural fibre as possible, as well as looking into alternative dyeing methods and waste-treating processes in order to minimise chemical pollution.
But while further research is being done and tested, many clients have also recognised the efforts Chula has made on the part of consumers. Namely, with such durable and artful garments, it is highly unlikely that they will have to say goodbye to their gorgeous gowns anytime soon. Some loyal patrons have even passed down pieces they can no longer wear to other members of their family, like one would a precious heirloom.
Ahead of their 20th anniversary in 2024, Laura Fontan expressed, “Since the very beginning, Chula wishes to give back to the community what we have received.” The world of textile gave Chula a canvas, art and culture for inspiration, and people for love. They warmly welcome clients from all over the world who strongly believe in their mission as well as resonate to the message communicated through their designs. Over 20 long years, Chula has seen success, creativity, sustainability, fostered community, admiration, patronage, and even experienced terrible loss.
In 2021, creative director Diego Cortizas sadly and suddenly passed away. Upon hearing the news, the Vietnamese art scene and fashion world mourned the loss of a great designer, while many patrons and friends remembered his kindness and generosity. He left Chula under the leadership of Laura and a team of talented designers and dressmakers who are determined to continue pursuing his artistic vision and altruistic values. Their commitment to fashion and sustainable development is a testament to the importance of values and humanity in art—especially when modern industrial society sometimes blur such crucial elements—and will go on to inspire artists, designers, activists and consumers for generations to come.
