This Vietnamese Brand Made Waves After Justin Bieber’s Coachella Performance
Bridging the grit of Saigon street culture with the global stage, Hung La reframes Asian masculinity through a subversive lens of luxury and rebellion
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When Justin Bieber took the stage for his headline set at Coachella 2026, his choice of attire, a pair of signature puffer shorts from the Vietnamese label LỰU ĐẠN, served as a definitive global endorsement of a brand that refuses to play by traditional rules.
In Vietnamese slang, lựu đạn (literally “pomegranate bullet”) denotes a “dangerous man,” someone loud, sleazy, and often found late at night in a karaoke bar, cigarette in hand.
For Vietnamese-American designer Hung La, the term becomes a badge of reclamation, one that has captured the attention of some of the world’s most influential style icons.
The architect of an authentic pivot
Hung La’s path to helming his own label is grounded in both discipline and experience. A first-generation Vietnamese-American, he began by honing his craft at the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
His résumé reads like a roll call of European luxury, with tenures at Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquière and Céline during the Phoebe Philo era.
After years of designing toward a Westernized ideal of beauty, the global shifts of 2020 prompted a recalibration. While fluent in the language of European ateliers, he had yet to fully articulate his own perspective through clothing.
Subverting the gaze
Founded in 2021, LỰU ĐẠN rejects the palatable version of Asian identity often presented to Western audiences. Instead, it draws from unruly archetypes seen in Hong Kong triad films, Japanese biker gangs, and the raw texture of Southeast Asian street life.
Oversized silhouettes and subversive prints define the label, mixing heritage references with a punk-inflected edge. Beyond Bieber, stars like Billie Eilish, who wore the brand to a Met Gala after-party.
Other supporters include R&B icon Usher, who wore LỰU ĐẠN during his Super Bowl LVIII press run, and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
A new hero for the Southeast Asian diaspora
For Hung, the label extends beyond commerce. It becomes a platform for visibility and cultural recalibration. By reclaiming the “bad boy” archetype, he offers a counterpoint to long-standing stereotypes imposed on Asian men in global media.
Through LỰU ĐẠN, Hung La bridges his high-fashion training with his heritage, constructing a narrative where the “dangerous man” steps into the role of protagonist.
Frequently Asked Questions
LỰU ĐẠN is a Vietnamese fashion label founded in 2021 by Hung La, a first-generation Vietnamese-American designer. Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, La previously worked at Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquière and at Céline during the Phoebe Philo era before founding his own brand.
In Vietnamese slang, lựu đạn — literally meaning “pomegranate bullet” — refers to a “dangerous man”: loud, irreverent, and unapologetically present. Designer Hung La reclaims the term as a badge of cultural pride and masculine identity, reframing a stereotype into a statement.
Justin Bieber wore a pair of LỰU ĐẠN’s signature puffer shorts during his headline set at Coachella 2026, bringing the Vietnamese label to a global audience and cementing its position among the most culturally significant independent brands in contemporary menswear.
LỰU ĐẠN has been worn by Justin Bieber at Coachella 2026, Billie Eilish at a Met Gala after-party, Usher during his Super Bowl LVIII press run, and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton — a roster that spans music, sport, and global pop culture.
LỰU ĐẠN draws on Hong Kong triad films, Japanese biker gang culture, and the raw visual texture of Southeast Asian street life. Oversized silhouettes and subversive prints mix heritage references with a punk-inflected edge, rejecting the palatable version of Asian identity typically presented to Western fashion audiences.
