Growing up in Vietnam, Stephan Quach lived with his grandparents in a small home down an alleyway near a market in Ho Chi Minh City. “It was real local Vietnamese life. We used to collect and sell plastic bottles and take public buses to get around,” he says of his childhood. “I remember rooster fights and all-night karaoke on the weekends.”
We’re sitting at a café in Odéon in Paris—where he moved full-time six months ago. At only 22, Quach speaks with a calm energy that doesn’t match the speed of what he’s building. Last month, he launched his menswear brand Stephan Bach. The name of the brand pays homage to his late grandfather, who he considers his biggest inspiration in life.
“My grandfather played a big role in my life,” he says. “He didn’t have a lot of money but every time he saw me doing something new, he would support me in any way possible.”
My grandfather played a big role in my life. He didn’t have a lot of money but every time he saw me doing something new, he would support me in any way possible.
According to Quach, he had the idea to start the brand over three years ago—while attending fashion design school in Paris. “I started brainstorming the ideas and concepts that will shape my brand and designing the first capsule,” he says. “But it stopped there—I didn’t know what to do after that. I had no team, no experience, no business plan or anything related to the business part.”
To close that gap, he quit school and returned to Saigon to join the studio of Vietnamese couture pioneer Công Trí. Within five months, he was working as the designer’s personal assistant. “I learned a lot from him, the way he makes decisions, how he works with his employees,” he says. “He was more of a mentor for me than just a boss. Anywhere I went with him, I always learned something new.”
At the end of 2025, he returned to Paris and moved quickly. “The first week arriving in Paris I met one person who really loved the concept of my brand. He trusted me blindly and started sharing his network in Paris, and most importantly he understood what I wanted in terms of creativity.”
From there, Quach found his art director John and CEO, Elektra, who oversees the business. Their timeline compressed, and the brand launched just one month after completing their debut capsule collection. Around 300 people showed up to the pop-up launch party in the Le Marais neighborhood.
“I was crazy but I always trust my guts in those situations. When I feel confident in what I do then I would go for it because I know the outcome will be good,” he says. “The launch was way better than I expected; people from the fashion industry, influencers, actors and friends came. It was like a confirmation for me that I could deliver what I tell people.”
The space itself carried as much meaning as the clothes. Bamboo mats lined the floor, incense burned in the background, and everyday Vietnamese objects filled the room—details that grounded the project in something lived-in rather than styled. For Quach, the presentation is part of the work.
“Stephan Bach’s collections will be more than just a pop-up store or runway show,” he says. “I want there to be a Vietnamese experience—something that will capture people’s attention especially in France.”
The first collection stays tight by design. It’s a debut capsule, six pieces meant to show what he plans to do, not everything he can do. The collection includes a long coat, two blazers, trousers, and two shirts. The silhouettes run oversized, sitting between ready-to-wear and tailoring, but each piece is made to feel personal. The palette stays mostly monochrome. One blazer takes cues from the áo dài collar, while the coat opens at the back to create movement. The fabrics stay soft even when the silhouette looks strict.
“Everything has to feel perfect—from the pattern to the feeling when people wear it,” he says. “They have to feel comfortable mentally and physically wearing my clothes.”
Everything has to feel perfect—from the pattern to the feeling when people wear it. They have to feel comfortable mentally and physically wearing my clothes.
That balance between structure and feeling reflects how he represents his dual French and Vietnamese backgrounds. “The Vietnamese side will be more muted and it will be something that people have to feel,” he explains. “I do not use big Vietnamese details to show directly the Vietnamese side. The French side will be more visual because I love tailoring and the luxury part. The perfect description of my brand is a boiled egg as a joke—white from the outside but yellow from the inside.”
Moving forward, each Stephan Bach collection starting with the forthcoming June collection will focus on a specific era of Vietnamese history, using those references to build something new rather than repeat what came before.
My ego is too big to not do what I tell people, especially when I put my grandpa’s name on the line.
Quach’s ambitions would feel aggressive for a designer twice his age, but he doesn’t slow it down. “People always tell me my goal is very ambitious or that I’m too young for that,” he says. “I’m that type of person, I love to aim big. And once I’m in that momentum, at least 80% of what I plan happens. My ego is too big to not do what I tell people, especially when I put my grandpa’s name on the line.”
Photo: FX Pelissier
