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PROFILE
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Profiting
from passion
Boo Ltd. is a top Viet-
namese fashion brand
targeting the local
youth market.
Do Viet
Anh
, the company’s
CEO, speaks to
Van
Nguyen
about his path
from a street skater to
director.
E
leven years ago, Do Viet Anh and
his twin brother came up with
the idea of selling street cloth-
ing in Vietnam. Today, at just
34 years old, he heads up three teen
fashion brands: Bo Sua, Infamous, and
Picked by Boo.
One of the key factor’s to the com-
pany’s success is its savvy use of both
age-old and contemporary Vietnamese
phrases on T shirt designs. By putting
a youthful and often tongue-in-cheek
twist on well-known idioms and com-
bining them with Boo’s trademark
graphics, the brand has gathered a loyal
customer base among the local market.
FROM HOBBY, TO CAREER
Back in 2003, before the company
was founded, Viet Anh and his twin
brother bought items such as skate-
boards and roller skates from Thailand
and China. After receiving compliments
from friends in their group of skaters,
they decided to open the first skate
shop in Hanoi - Boo Skateshop.
“My brother and I liked skating back
in the Czech Republic, but we could
hardly find any skate shops in Vietnam.
That is why we decided to import skat-
ing items to sell,” Viet Anh says.
BOO was the first company to print
everyday Vietnamese phrases and images
on a t-shirt. “We want to wittily express Vi-
etnam’s culture through our designs, mak-
ing Vietnamese teenagers more in love
with their own culture,” Viet Anh explains.
‘Simple, but full of creativity’ is
how Viet Anh describes BOO’s t-shirts:
“We have our signature line which in-
cludes teenagers’ popular quotes and
slang, some of which are created by
BOO, while some are suggested by
our teenage customers. Youngsters are
often fond of something that only they
can understand.”
He adds: “We chose t-shirts because
firstly, this item is wearable for everyone,
and secondly, it is easy to manufacture.
Last but not least, a blank t-shirt is like a
sheet of white paper on which we can
clearly deliver our message.”
In 2013, BOO introduced its second
line - Infamous - targeting the 18-25 age
group. Growing fast, Viet Anh strongly
believes that Infamous will replace Bo
Sua as BOO’s main brand in about three
years and become comparable to GAP
or ZARA.