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What was supposed to be a highlight moment quickly turned into a nightmare.
When Nga Nguyen, a 27-year-old London socialite, was invited to her first Gucci show earlier this year, she was ecstatic.
With her 26-year-old sister Nguyen Hong Nhung, she flew to Milan on February 18 to see the Italian brand’s Autumn / Winter 2020 collection. A week later, the couple made another whirlwind trip to Paris, this time to attend the Saint Laurent show.
Another week passed before the horror began.
At a routine medical check-up on a business trip to Europe, a mild cough prompted Ms Nguyen to undergo a Covid-19 test. The positive result that came in marked the beginning of a heartbreaking month, as the initial fever and cough gave way to suffocating chest pains and respiratory complications.
“It’s like someone is pressing on your chest. You can’t even lie on your side. Breathing or getting up to go to the bathroom was very difficult,” Ms. Nguyen recalls.
It took two weeks of aggressive treatment in a hospital and two negative tests before he was finally free.
As his health was affected by the coronavirus, his public personality was also hit.
Heir to a real estate business that spans Vietnam, London, and Germany, Ms. Nguyen has always been close to the world of fashion.
A first stint in the marketing department of LVMH’s perfume and cosmetics division, followed by a position at the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation organizing its annual galas, put her in close contact with celebrities in society.
In 2018, she attended the Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual ball that is also known as the biggest night in fashion. She has been a guest at Dolce & Gabbana’s exclusive Alta Moda shows, day-long extravagances in spectacular Italian venues, where the brand’s clients spend millions on their haute couture.
Ms. Nguyen documented all of these experiences and more on her Instagram account. That same fast and fabulous life that earned him a massive following on social media gained the vitriol when it was revealed that he had contracted Covid-19.
With fear, resentment and uncertainty running high, it came to mean all the excesses of the fashion industry that seemed out of step with the realities of a pandemic: the constant wandering around the world, the endless consumption and the luxury display.
The press and the Internet went into attack mode, with Ms Nguyen and her sister ridiculed around the world.
“That was a really difficult episode. Physically, you are sick, you are far from home, you are alone in the hospital, and mentally, you are not calm because you are dealing with all this negativity and cyber drama. It makes the whole experience and recovery a much, much more difficult, “he says.
“I turned off all my social media, just to fully focus on my health.”
In truth, the allegations that Ms. Nguyen unleashed new clusters in the fashion world were largely unfounded.
“I was in Milan and Paris for only 24 hours each. I didn’t go to any parties or after parties,” he says.
“Immediately after my diagnosis, I called the brands and they informed all the guests who were sitting around me. I have not heard that any of them have contracted the virus. The people who were with me on those trips, my photographer and my brand, artist – tested negative. “
Having recovered from both the virus and the backlash, he is in a much better place today.
“You know what they say; what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. What I find very important in situations like that is that you stay calm,” Ms. Nguyen says of how she got through that period.
“Disconnect from negativity and fake news and try to find the truth; absorb what is good or relevant to you. Get a logical understanding of your situation: how did you get there and what are you going to do about it?”
For Ms. Nguyen, that has meant rethinking her way of life. “I’ve always lived a pretty chaotic life.”
He adds: “Now that everything has slowed down, it has been a process of self-reflection. It is time to press restart and question not only the way we live, but dig deeper. What is the purpose of doing the things we do? What makes us happy? What is meaningful to us? “
This new mentality also extends to his relationship with fashion.
“We are bombarded with this huge number of collections. As a fashionista, I really appreciate the creativity shown, but do we need four seasons?” she says.
“What would be the most efficient way to maintain this showcase of creativity without losing consumer attention and losing sight of the new normal after the pandemic?”
As she reflects on how fashion would change after Covid-19, she is confident that her behavioral habits, along with those of many other consumers, will change.
“Before, we only liked to shop, but perhaps now, we are hungry for more understanding. We will not only pay more attention to what we buy, but also focus on the story behind the product, why” You are buying it and what it means , not only the financial value, but also the emotional value. I think we will be making smarter decisions. “
Determined to make her traumatic experience more meaningful, Ms. Nguyen will launch a new company later this year: Never Go Alone, a line of premium personal hygiene products.
Like everything it does, it will be stylish: the collection will be marketed as fashion accessories with a high-performance element.
“There has been a lot of research done on this, everything will be packaged sustainably, we are supporting (community initiative) The Hygiene Bank to tackle hygiene poverty in the UK and 20% of our first year profits will go to the world Fund Solidarity Response Covid-19 of the Health Organization, “he says.
According to The Hygiene Bank, poor hygiene is not being able to afford the daily hygiene and grooming products that most people take for granted, from deodorant to shampoo.
Ms Nguyen adds: “Before this, I treated the platform I had as a playground, just for entertainment and without thinking too much about it.
“Now, I realize that I can use it to promote change and a positive message. I had to deal with the virus completely alone and it made me stronger. But that also inspired the idea behind this project: that wherever you are or what make it travel, you never have to do it alone. “
• This article first appeared in Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, the leading fashion magazine on the best of style, beauty, design, travel and the arts. Go to www.harpersbazaar.com.sg and follow @harpersbazaarsg on Instagram; harpers bazaarsingapore on Facebook. The September 2020 edition is now available on newsstands.
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