The journey of inspiring entrepreneurship from traditional ao dai

Having been involved in the fashion industry since a very early age, it was only when she studied and experienced the ao dai design profession that Ms. Nguyen Thi May (Hong Son village, Thanh Son commune, Kim Bang district) found her own development direction, which is the journey of inspiring entrepreneurship from the traditional ao dai. Ms. Nguyen Thi May hopes that through the traditional ao dai, she will expand production and business, regularly provide vocational training for women in need, create job opportunities for disadvantaged women, women in difficult circumstances... thereby, raising the status of women in society.

We met Ms. May when she had just returned from the art program "Ao Dai Night" taking place at Doan Mon Square stage - Thang Long Heritage Conservation Center ( Hanoi ) - one of a series of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2024). In front of thousands of audiences nationwide, designer Nguyen Thi May brought to the program a meaningful collection called "Ha Nam Heritage" including 5 ao dai designs with vivid and sophisticated lines and colors, containing love for the homeland through the images of Tam Chuc Pagoda, Le Chan Temple, Tich Dien Festival... Sharing about the opportunity to start a business with traditional ao dai, Ms. Nguyen Thi May said: In April 2023, she was introduced by the Women's Union of Thanh Son commune to participate in the course "Vietnamese Ao Dai Designer" organized by the Central Women's Union in coordination with Designer Do Trinh Hoai Nam for women members of 63 provinces and cities across the country. Attending the class, she was inspired to design on square-pleated ao dai material, a combination of tradition and modernity, creating a unique style. Realizing the significance of her career is to bring traditional cultural beauty to life in today's modern life, Ms. Nguyen Thi May decided to continue taking courses to improve her qualifications and prepare herself for the path of entrepreneurship.

Ms. Nguyen Thi May (standing in the middle, front row) at the 2024 Ha Nam Women's Startup and Innovation Contest. Photo: Provided by the character

The story of Ms. Nguyen Thi May's early days of starting a business with square-cut ao dai also had many difficulties. Although she had a long-standing background in fashion tailoring, in order to switch to starting a business with traditional ao dai, Ms. May boldly invested funds to redesign the factory and fashion store; added sewing machines and store equipment; regularly attended advanced training courses on square-cut ao dai; selected reputable materials and suppliers; built a brand, developed logos and brand recognition; trained staff; sought opportunities to compete with reputable brands... To increase communication, promote the brand and inspire passion for traditional ao dai to the community, especially the youth, Ms. May regularly participated in fashion shows; startup competitions, organized workshops to share skills and experiences. Most recently, Ms. May brought her startup project to participate in the contest "Ha Nam Women's Creative Startup and Green Transformation" in 2024 organized by the Provincial Women's Union and excellently won the Third Prize.

Although Ms. Nguyen Thi May's entrepreneurial journey has been arduous, it is also full of meaningful values ​​that inspire the community, such as gender equality and environmental protection. Designing traditional ao dai requires workers to have many techniques of measuring, cutting, sewing, blending, and intricate, meticulous and elaborate manual embellishment. Therefore, in order to have more people to support her production and business, finding workers also requires a fairly high initial qualification standard. Currently, Ms. May is training 4 employees in production techniques, all of whom are women without jobs and stable incomes in neighboring localities. Ms. May plans to spread the teaching of traditional ao dai design from the initial core employees to districts and towns in the province; helping women have stable jobs with an average income of 8 - 10 million VND/month, helping women take control of their lives and affirm their position as women in the family and society. In addition, Ms. May always believes that developing production and business must be associated with environmental protection, responding to climate change and a green economy. Therefore, taking advantage of surplus materials in the production process, Ms. May has recreated many new and diverse products such as handbags, hair clips, earrings, hair bands, masks, etc.; built a wardrobe of old and new Ao Dai, donated Ao Dai to women in difficult circumstances who have not had the opportunity to wear Ao Dai; promoted awareness raising among workers and the community about environmental protection and sustainable development.

Ms. Pham Hong Hanh, President of the Thanh Son Commune Women's Union, said: Ms. Nguyen Thi May is a very active member, regularly participating in union activities as well as supporting local movements. After being introduced to the "Vietnamese Ao Dai Designer" class organized by the Central Women's Union, Ms. May continued to study and improve her knowledge and skills to develop her career. In the coming time, the Commune Women's Union will continue to encourage and support Ms. May to participate in meaningful programs and competitions to promote the brand, strengthen exchanges, develop production and business, contributing to creating job opportunities and increasing income for women in the area.

Nguyen Khanh

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/van-hoa/hanh-trinh-truyen-cam-hung-khoi-nghiep-tu-ta-ao-dai-truyen-thong-139804.html