Well-known designer Minh Hanh said she wanted to make daily clothes from silk as many local designers were ignoring the material. She made the comments at the 2017 Vietnam - Asia Silk and Brocade Culture Festival which opened in Hoi An Town on June 12.

Designer Minh Hanh 

Silk was previously only worn by royal families. Many traditional villages were set up to improve the quality of silk for the royals. However, Hanh said the people nowadays largely ignored the material.

At the festival, many traditional villages have attended with their products including the Nha Xa Silk Village which own most market share in the North and Bao Loc Silk Village in the south whose silk exported to Japan.

From the ancient to modern time, those people stick to their traditional craft and proved its value, Hanh said. However, she went on to say that Vietnam lacked connection with the designers who had the abilities to show off and heighten the values of silk. Silk is expensive but without a good designer, the clothes may look cheap. Silk makers will work with designers to make new products to stimulate the market.

"Silk is like a sassy and snobbish girl so it's not easy to maintain her. Modern equipment will make it friendlier for daily use but still look luxurious and elegant. We aim to create a strong silk brand of Vietnam and expand the market," she said.

Made-in-Vietnam silk is being exported to Japan and other countries, but Hanh wants more locals can use silk as their daily clothes as it is cool in summer and warm in winter.

"This is a local product but we forget about it. The important thing is to make the locals use it more and we have to prove that it has quality, good designs and affordable prices," Hanh said.

The 80-year-old artisans in Nam Cao Thai Binh Village are still alive and still making fine fibre of silk in cold water. There's also Nha Xa silk that has been used by many designers to make summer clothes.

"Gathering in a festival like this is important to introduce new products. Designers and silk makers must co-operate to make silk even more attractive," she said.

The 2017 Vietnam - Asia Silk and Brocade Culture Festival is part of the Quang Nam- Heritage Journey programme. 12 silk and brocade villages in Vietnam and seven from China, Italy, India and Japan participated in the event. 

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