Love for Ao Dai, from small seeds to great aspirations
From her passion for fashion as a child to designs with Vietnamese identity reaching out to the world, her journey is an inspiring story about her love for Ao Dai and her constant efforts to promote national culture.
From her childhood, Thao Giang has showed her passion for fashion when she often helped her cousinose and patch up the scraps of fabric to make the dolls' costumes herself.
But it was not until she put on an ao dai and took it to perform in other countries that her love for ao dai really exploded. When she saw international friends in admiration, calling her name "Ao Dai Vietnam" and asking to take photos with her, she not only felt proud but also realized the responsibility to preserve and promote this beauty.
Those experiences urged her to step into the path of Ao Dai design, not simply an outfit but also a cultural symbol, carrying the national spirit, heritage stories and the breath of the times.
Vu Thao Giang pursues the ao dai design style that maintains traditional spirit but still blends with contemporary features. For her, Ao Dai is not only an outfit but also a work of art reflecting Vietnamese cultural identity. The ao dai created by her always have a discreet, elegant beauty but are also full of style, highly applicable in modern life.
She believes that, no matter how fashion changes, Ao Dai still needs to maintain its core values. The too-riessional innovative designs that lose the inherent characteristics of traditional ao dai such as removing the sleeves, digging the chest too deep or transforming into a dress are not really ao dai. Therefore, in each work, Thao Giang always tries to preserve the soul of Ao Dai, while adding new highlights to suit the trend of the times.
With a love for heritage, each collection of Thao Giang is not only a fashion but also a story about the history, culture and art of the nation. Maintaining traditional souls and breathing a modern breath into Ao Dai is always the design style that I aim for - designer Vu Thao Giang said.
When talking about the " years of pottery" Ao Dai collection, she shared: "This is a journey of more than two years traveling everywhere to collect and research ceramic painting art - an quintessence of traditional Vietnamese architecture. I have put sophisticated ceramic paintings into Ao Dai, turning the outfit into a vivid picture of cultural heritage".
With "Vu Nghe Hy", Thao Giang wants to honor the beauty of ancient Hanoi women, from the years 1950 - 1970, combined with Hang Trong painting art. She hopes to recreate the image of Trang An women with an elegant, discreet yet attractive demeanor. This is not only a way of fashion, but also a way to preserve beautiful memories of ancient Vietnamese culture.
As for "Vietnam Gam Hoa", this is a journey across the country, where heritages and scenic spots are depicted on the ao dai. Sites such as Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, Ha Long Bay, Hue Ancient Capital, Hoi An or Da Nang Dragon Bridge are all expressed with sophisticated printing and embroidery techniques. "I want Ao Dai not only to be an outfit but also a 'map' to promote Vietnamese tourism to the world" - Thao Giang expressed.
According to Thao Giang, the most beautiful ao dai is not only the material or pattern but also depends on the charisma and love of the wearer for it. When wearing Ao Dai with national pride, women will become more radiant and charming than ever.
Bringing Vietnamese ao dai to the world
Despite her strong passion, Thao Giang's path to bringing Vietnamese ao dai to the world is not easy. At first, she had many difficulties accessing standard documents on traditional culture, especially ancient patterns and motifs that had not been fully published. In addition, combining modern technology and traditional values in design is also a big challenge.
However, with perseverance and love for the profession, Thao Giang has constantly researched and cooperated with cultural researchers and artisans in the craft village to restore ancient values in her designs. She also applies technology in creating designs, helping Vietnamese ao dai get closer to the international market.
In the future, Thao Giang will not only continue to develop Ao Dai collections with strong Vietnamese identity but also aim to bring Ao Dai to the world through cultural exchange activities and international fashion exhibitions. She is also cooperating with state agencies and non-governmental organizations to promote Ao Dai in the international arena.
With talent, enthusiasm and a long-term vision, designer Vu Thao Giang not only contributes to preserving the traditional beauty of Vietnamese ao dai but also takes it far, becoming a cultural symbol known and respected by international friends.
