I’ve always had a soft spot for Christmas. But more than that, nothing gives me the same sense of warmth and peace as blending into the crowd, or wandering through the Noel markets at Kỳ Đồng Church in the days leading up to Christmas. I still remember those past Christmases, the slight chill of Saigon air, the warmth of family, walking with my parents and siblings from the glowing Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, past the noisy lights of Diamond Plaza, all the way to midnight. Those memories are what make Christmas sacred to me. It’s always felt full of love, full of hope. Maybe that’s why I’ve always believed Christmas is the most beautiful gift God ever gave to a non believer like me. That’s also why I chose this theme for DEADEND’s return collection, as a quiet way to give thanks for those invisible, miraculous graces.
As time went on, childhood drifted away. My siblings grew up and moved overseas. Saigon became more crowded. My family stopped going to Paris Commune Square on Christmas Eve. In mid 2025, I returned to Notre Dame Cathedral, trying to recover something I thought I had lost. By then, the entire church was wrapped in scaffolding imported from Germany. The old architectural details were gone from sight. Against all that steel, the only thing that remained unmistakable was the statue of Queen of Peace standing in the garden.
Her face was the same, gentle and calm. Her eyes looked far away, untouched by any worldly emotion. Her white dress, marked by a sacred patina, somehow felt even more holy under a thin layer of PM2.5 dust. At her feet, the serpent lay crushed beneath her step. That’s when it hit me. It was the Year of the Snake, Ất Tỵ 2025. I decided then to take Our Lady of Peace as the central image of this collection. It felt like a prayer, asking her to intercede with God, to lend me strength to get through a particularly unforgiving year. At home, extreme natural disasters kept piling up. Globally, Donald Trump won the election and immediately slapped a 46 percent tariff on Vietnam. Our US wholesale buyers vanished overnight. I'm not over it.
In the end, the serpent stayed quietly at Our Lady’s feet. The Year of Ất Tỵ has just ended. And all of us, somehow, begin again. With this collection, DEADEND hopes love and light will always find a place in your heart. May God bless you all. And Happy New Year.
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon in 2011 and 2025. Photo: Kevin1243
