Christina was trained and practised as a litigator in Hong Kong until December 1995 when she moved to Hanoi to meet with her husband, who was then a partner with Baker and McKenzie offices in Vietnam. Finding it difficult to pursue the same legal career in Vietnam and being totally unsatisfied as a "housewife", she decides to pursue her secret dream:

 

Fashion... 

 

 

The beginning

She started on a big sourcing and samples development exercise for several big department stores in HK and tried to persuade big Hong Kong and Japanese buyers to consider Vietnam as an alternative manufacturing ground to China. After one and a half years in Vietnam, she landed her own label: Ipa-Nima. A brand synonymous with distinctively funky and fabulously creative accessories. Think of carnival girls, the beads, the rhinestones, the colours and the sparkles of their costumes and the vivid spirits that they invoke- this is where Ipa-Nima comes from and how her accessories come across. Several people have commented that they "speak" with an Ipa-Nima bag as all the other apparel that one would be wearing with the bag pales into insignificance...not to mention that a few would go all the way to have specially made outfit to MATCH the bag, so to speak.

 

 Who is she?

If you have met with Christina, you will understand why she is the girl from Ipa-Nima... for she invokes the same spirit as the accessories that she creates - incredibly energetic, not to mention highly creative as one can see from her fantasyland like flag ship store situated in Hai Ba Trung. A woman who declared that her "glamorous life ended here" when she landed in Noi Ba Airport on 5 December 1995 would probably never had imagined that she would become one of the most talented designer in the fashion world.

 

Nearly ten years later, she is now selling her Ipa Nima creations at the four corners of the planet in the most prestigious department stores. She counts among her customers celebrities in the world of politics and entertainment.

 

 Interview

visit www.urbanstyle.net
How are your designs influenced by your experiences living and working in Hong Kong, Hanoi, and the West?
What is "fashion" or "style" in Vietnam?
 

 

 Contact Ipa Nima

No.59G Hai Ba Trung

Hoan Kiem Dist.

Hanoi Vietnam

Tel:   +(84 4) 942-1872

Fax:  +(84 4) 942-1875

 

www.ipa-nima.com