modebranchen.NU NU International no. 01 2019 | Page 64

Article
CERO-ETAGE
X
PHUC VAN
DANG
Art, fashion and charity go hand-in-hand in a unique
partnership between the Vietnamese artist Phuc Van Dang
and the Danish fashion company Cero-Etage.
BY HELLE MATHIESEN
Phuc Van Dang was born in Vietnam and came to Den- if he would be interested in collaborating with us, says
merges the past, the present and the future in an artistic Art and fashion hand in hand
mark as a refugee when he was nine years old. His iconic
black line shows imaginative and mythical figures that
Carin Lundgaard.
flow. The result of the partnership can be seen at upcoming
she first visited Phuc Van Dang's workshop and studio ons, in which Phuc Van Dang's art is used as print on
At the Danish fashion company Cero-Etage, CEO Carin
Lundgaard was amazed by this particular line, when
in THE PRISON (today the historic buildings of the former
state penitentiary in the Danish town Horsens houses THE
PRISON, a cultural institution that encompasses among
other things The Prison Museum, the prison hotel SleepIn,
business events, festivals, concerts and a shared office
space, editors note). Carin Lundgaard bought a couple of
paintings, but she could not let go of the charismatic ar-
tist, his philosophical approach to life, nor his black and
white pictures.
His philosophy of life is inspired by Buddhism and he
has an approach to life that centres on giving back to the
world - to not only receive but also give to others.
- When I returned to the office I told my business part-
ner Claus H. Mikkelsen about my newfound fascination,
and we agreed to contact Phuc Van Dang again to ask
64 | ISSUE NO 01 JANUARY 2019 | MODEBRANCHEN.
fairs in Berlin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen among
other places. All fairs are presenting limited editi-
trousers from C-RO and a rain jacket from Etage. The
print is also used on a canvas bag and also serves as an
eye-catching detail on the booth's posters.
In Copenhagen, Phuc Van Dang will participate in an
event, at which he will paint on-site in Cero-Etage's
showroom in Bella Center. Additionally, a handful of
customers are invited to an event where they are of-
fered customised C-RO jeans with the characteristic
Phuc Van Dang art - also painted right on the spot. A
part of the sales of the Phuc Van Dang line goes to cha-
rity - in the spirit of Phuc Van Dang's philosophy of giv-
ing back to the world.
Buyers can look forward to seeing the styles with the
Phuc Van Dang prints at the upcoming fairs in Europe.