The 17-year journey has not only allowed him to refine his technique but has also transformed his understanding of art. For him, Vietnamese silk is more than simply a material for creating beautiful products; it is also a way to preserve and pass on Vietnam’s cultural heritage in contemporary life. The failures he encountered throughout his experiments became valuable lessons, helping him gain a deeper understanding of the properties of water, pigments, and silk, and ultimately learn to work with uncertainty rather than resist it.
When bringing marbling into fashion, close collaboration between the material artist and the designer plays a crucial role. In his work with designer La Pham, the designs were developed to respect the natural “flow” of each piece of silk. Rather than adding excessive details, cuts, or decorative patterns, the designs were deliberately restrained, allowing the areas of color to “breathe” while preserving the material’s emotional character and uniqueness.
He hopes that marbled designs on Bao Loc silk will inspire younger generations to better understand and appreciate Vietnamese silk, while recognizing that heritage does not belong solely to the past but must continue to live in contemporary life. To him, fashion offers a way for Vietnamese culture to be touched, worn, used, and experienced, rather than existing only in books or museums.
One major project he is currently developing is to bring 100 themes drawn from Vietnamese culture and heritage to pure Vietnamese silk. Each collection will explore a particular region, story, or cultural symbol. The first collection draws inspiration from Thánh Gióng, with the aim of transforming the values of Vietnam’s heritage into a contemporary fashion language capable of engaging with an international audience.
The project is particularly notable for the involvement of many young contributors, including university students. Rather than imposing a predetermined narrative, the artist hopes to create an environment where younger generations can explore, connect with, and creatively interpret Vietnamese culture through a language of their own.
Among these cultural elements, Dong Son bronze drum motifs are regarded as a particularly distinctive cultural asset, with the potential to become a signature of Vietnamese fashion, much like the way international brands have incorporated their own national cultural symbols into their identities. The ultimate goal is not simply to preserve the visual forms of heritage, but to transform heritage into living, creative expressions and a distinctive marker of Vietnamese cultural identity in the modern era.
