What jobs have you done in your life, and what valuable lessons have you learned?

In 2017, I studied a language major at Open University, but since it wasn’t the right field for me, I decided to stop and take a new direction.

This decision led to disagreements, as I didn’t have my family’s support. I chose to work instead, so I could save up enough money to study again in the future.

In 2018, I started working as a sales assistant at the international airport. After a year of saving, I had enough money to go back to school. However, fashion is an expensive field—there are materials, tools, and supplies to buy—so I balanced studying with a part-time job at school (taking care of students, preparing classroom materials, cleaning up after class, etc.).

Although the path to my current career has been challenging and difficult, I’ve realized that everything necessary had to happen. If I hadn’t met the people I needed to meet or done the things I needed to do, I might not be the person I am today.

How did your journey with fashion begin, and how has it changed your life?

When it comes to fate, I honestly don’t think my path started because of fate.

I was simply a girl who loved to draw—a passion that stayed with me from childhood into adulthood. Being aware of my own strengths, I decided to give myself a chance to explore them.

To be honest, at that time I didn’t have any plans or calculations for the future. I just knew what I loved, and I always studied with the mindset: “It’s better to try and fail than to not try and regret it later.”

At the very least, I gave it my all, I took it seriously, I dared to try—so whatever the outcome, it didn’t matter that much to me. But in the end, I was able to reach what I had been aiming for.

Why did you choose to design Barbie and Disney princess dresses?

Fashion is a career that requires money, connections, or companions—and I had none of those when I started. After trying out a few small areas in the field, I felt like I didn’t really fit in and lacked energy.

After about a year of trying but not getting great results, I sat down and asked myself: “If I’m going to do this alone, I need to do something truly special—something few people are doing, or no one is doing.”

Luckily, I had loved Barbie and Disney princess dresses since I was little. Before that, I hadn’t seen any accounts in Vietnam focusing on this content, so I decided to give it a try. And I was really fortunate—my very first video went viral.

That helped me gain my first customers, and I also discovered the cosplay community, which I never even knew existed before.

To this day, I feel like I’m truly destined for princess dresses. I’m always full of energy and feel very happy and at ease doing this.

The most wonderful things YOU’VE felt at this stage of my life

Even though I see many opportunities for growth in my work, I always want to find a way to balance my job and time for myself.

I feel that I need to work while also taking time to breathe—to truly feel everything around me, to realize how meaningful what I have right now is.

Your mindset is the most important thing when doing anything. That’s why I only take on enough orders to meet my life goals, to chill, and to give my customers the best care possible.

I’m always grateful for everything I’ve been through, grateful for the people I’ve met—even during the hardest times—because all of it shaped me into who I am today.

The major projects YOU’RE working on to reach a global audience, such as in France

Right now, I’m working hard so that my creative work can be seen in other countries like the U.S., France, and beyond. Whatever plans I pursue, I always hope to keep this same spirit alive.

Tell us about your childhood and the things that troubled you most

I have a story from middle school—it’s also one of my most unforgettable memories. Ever since I was little, I realized my passion was drawing. While other kids saw art as just a fun activity, for me, it truly mattered.

Because of that, I always got perfect scores in art. Every time we had an assignment, my teacher would keep my work to add to his collection.

One time, my class was chosen to participate in a teaching competition with my art teacher. I was so happy and excited, and I promised myself I would be proactive and do my best to support him.

But then, our homeroom teacher announced that a few students would have to stay back—and I was one of them. At that moment, I felt really sad and disappointed, but I also tried to comfort myself and understand that the teacher was simply doing her job: choosing the students who excelled not only in art but in other subjects as well.

I remember that day so clearly. The whole class went with the teachers, and only I and a few others stayed behind. We still had to come to school and sit in the classroom. While we were there, another subject teacher walked by and was surprised to see me. She asked why I wasn’t with the art teacher, since she knew how much I loved art.

I didn’t really know how to answer, so I just said: “Because my class already had enough people, so I was the extra one and stayed behind.”

Honestly, I was deeply hurt at that moment. But I can’t deny that it was the moment I truly became serious with myself—and decided to change.

Thank you to fashion designer Trần Thu Trang for taking the time to speak with us.

To all our readers: If you have an interesting story, we’d love to listen and share it on the HDXV platform.

You can send your story to iamhdxv@gmail.com.

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