Designer David Minh Duc returns with a collection of ao dai honoring heritage

The collection includes 50 Ao Dai designs performed by 45 famous Vietnamese models, arranged by Creative Director Vinh Nguyen. Notably, the collection is not presented in the usual way, but is presented through multimedia art, combining fashion , light, dance and installation art.

The designs in the collection are all crafted from typical Asian materials such as Ha Dong silk, Tan Chau satin, Korean organza, Indian taffeta, and Shanghai brocade. On the background of these materials are elaborate hand-embroidered motifs, bold folk colors, and bold cuts that still retain the Vietnamese spirit.

Designer David Minh Duc took a photo with leaders of Hoan Kiem ward and the Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board.

Sharing about the designs in the collection “30-year journey to honor the heritage of Vietnamese Ao Dai”, David Minh Duc said that the collection was inspired by an occasion when he visited the Fujian Assembly Hall while walking around Hanoi's Old Quarter. Moved by the image of Thien Hau Thanh Mau, David Minh Duc spent many months researching, designing and making Vietnamese costumes to offer to the Mother Goddess - as a gesture of gratitude from a son of Hanoi to the Holy Mother Goddess revered by the people. From here, he began to shape his own school of design: fashion associated with spirituality, culture and profound spiritual values.

David Minh Duc came to fashion through “Mother’s hand”. As a child, his mother was the one who taught him every stitch, taught him to feel the softness of silk, the patience of tailoring and the sophistication of Asian culture. It was his love for his mother and later his gratitude for Vietnamese women that shaped the fashion path he chose.

From wedding fashion to ao dai, then to Vietnamese costume restoration projects, David Minh Duc has gradually become an iconic face in the fashion industry. His ao dai have appeared in many fashion capitals of the world ; his Vietnamese costumes are highly appreciated for their standards, cultural and artistic erudition.

The contemporary folk style that he has pursued for many years has created a unique design language: traditional but not old, modern but not lost, luxurious but not ostentatious.

Each design by David Minh Duc is aimed at the image of Vietnamese women: gentle, strong, tolerant and pure beauty.

Sharing the reason for placing the designs in the space of Hanoi's Old Quarter, David Minh Duc said: "The Old Quarter is where the Hanoi Ao Dai used to be present every day, I want to bring it back to the streets, back to life, not just on the catwalk". This helps this collection not only be a beautiful outfit but also a heritage that is revived and admired in a local space.

Born and raised in Hanoi, David Minh Duc is known as one of the pioneering fashion designers who brought the Vietnamese ao dai to the international stage. Since the age of 13, when he was a child who loved hair and wedding dress design, he had a dream of renewing traditional costumes for Vietnamese people. He designed ao dai for contestants of international competitions such as Miss Earth 2007, bringing the collection "Long Lan Quy Phuong" to the international stage...

During more than 30 years in the profession, David Minh Duc has not only designed Ao Dai but also researched the history of Vietnamese costumes, restored many types of ancient Vietnamese costumes, inspired the younger generation, and brought the image of Vietnamese Ao Dai to international friends.

Some designs in the collection: