An emotional journey and a memorable mark
Real Leather contest. Stay Different. Vietnam 2025 has attracted more than 120 contestants from 15 universities and colleges across the country, competing in three main categories: Shoes, costumes and accessories. Among them, 38 best faces were selected for the second round to realize their ideas. Overcoming challenges in processing techniques, material processing and time, these 38 contestants have affirmed their personal mark and unique creativity through each meticulous and sharp design, demonstrating outstanding maturity in their journey.
The shining night of Vietnamese talent and identity
Real Leather award ceremony. Stay Different. Vietnam 2025 is honored to have the presence of representatives of the US Consulate General, representatives of the US Dermatology & Skin Association, the Jury, sponsors, strategic partners and many guests who are representatives of leading enterprises in the footwear and fashion industry.
The highest awards in each category have been honored:
Shoes category: Candidate Pham Thi Ngoc Lien ( College of Industry and Trade) with the design "Lac Viet - Step of Lac Hong's foot".
Accessories category: Contestant Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai (Truong Ton Duc Thang) with the "Roi Nuoc" design.
Costume category: Contestant Pham Le Huynh (Truong Ton Duc Thang) with the "Dan Dong" design.
The Design Award was voted by many people: Nguyen Thi Van Anh (School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts - Hanoi National University) with the design " Shift Bag".
In particular, Real Leather's overall championship title. Stay Different. Vietnam 2025 belonged to contestant Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai with the design "water Route" in the Accessories category. Thanh Mai shared: "The art of water puppetry inspired me to create this collection. I want to tell folk cultural stories through close, convenient and applicable fashion language. The 'Roi Nuoc' leather handbag not only aims to be highly applicable and suitable for modern trends, but also conveys the message of heritage conservation, arousing national pride, especially among young people."
The American Dermatology & Skin Association would like to sincerely thank all the contestants for their dedication, along with the Jury, skin donors from ISA TanTec, Dang Tu Ky and the partners who have accompanied them to create a successful and inspiring season.
Real Leather contest. Stay Different. Vietnam 2025 has officially ended, but the journey of Vietnamese real leather design is still open. The impressions created today will be a solid launching pad for Vietnamese fashion to reach out stronger on the global creative map.
About the Real.Leather.Stay Different contest
Real.Leather.Stay Different is a global campaign that has created a huge buzz, reaching about 750 million people and hundreds of thousands of students. This campaign highlights the importance of using real leather and other natural materials.
The main goal of the campaign is to optimize the use of waste sources in the agricultural sector, especially raw skin. Raw skin is a natural by-product of the dairy and meat industry, and its use helps reduce waste, rather than going to the petrochemical industry to produce artificial materials.
With its flexible and durable properties, genuine leather is considered a natural and sustainable alternative to today's fast fashion trend.
