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Combining a passion for traditional clothing with dyeing fabrics using natural materials.
When it comes to traditional Vietnamese clothing, Nguyen Duc Huy, born in the 1990s, is a familiar name in the field. His passion for traditional Vietnamese clothing began when he studied in Germany in 2015, where he was often asked by his foreign friends what traditional Vietnamese clothing consisted of. Realizing he didn't know much about Vietnamese culture, he began to learn more. During that time, the movement to revive traditional Vietnamese clothing also gradually developed, so Huy came into contact with many traditional Vietnamese costumes. Fascinated by the beautiful and diverse ancient Vietnamese costumes, Duc Huy decided to venture into the field of restoring traditional Vietnamese clothing upon returning to Vietnam in 2018.
Regarding his passion for dyeing fabrics, Duc Huy said he enjoys handicrafts and a green lifestyle, so he often makes his own items. This lifestyle also includes dyeing fabrics and old clothes.
Huy is often asked by his foreign friends what traditional Vietnamese clothing consists of.
After attending a workshop, he began experimenting with indigo dyeing on old clothes at home. Initially, it was just a hobby, but he quickly realized that natural dyeing could support his research and the creation of traditional costumes. Therefore, he decided to combine the two approaches and create traditional garments made from naturally dyed fabrics.
Research, explore, and be passionate.
To delve deeper into the field of natural dyeing, Duc Huy spent a month and a half in Sapa learning indigo dyeing from the Hmong people, as well as from the Dao, Thai, and experienced individuals. He then learned Japanese and Chinese dyeing techniques through online resources. However, learning and researching online lacked a systematic approach and precise proportions, so Duc Huy had to experiment and figure things out quite a bit. Furthermore, natural dyeing is closely linked to local characteristics. Each region has different flora. Not every plant found in China or Japan is also found in Vietnam. Therefore, Duc Huy had to find alternative materials to produce similar colors.
Natural dyeing is closely linked to indigenous characteristics.
In studying ancient costumes, historical documents often don't specify the colors, but some mention the materials used to dye the fabrics. Through practicing fabric dyeing, Duc Huy has gained a deeper understanding of the colors and tones of ancient costumes, further refining his research. Currently, Duc Huy dedicates most of his time to researching and sewing traditional costumes such as the Nhat Binh, Tac, Giao Linh, Vien Linh, and Doi Kham robes.
Fabric dyeing materials are diverse.
The materials Duc Huy uses to dye fabric are natural, the most common being traditional Chinese medicine herbs. He says these are dried ingredients that can be used year-round and are easily available at traditional medicine shops. Besides that, he has also experimented with other natural ingredients such as brown root, sappan wood, Terminalia catappa leaves, chrysanthemums, safflower, marigolds, tea leaves, and guava leaves. However, using fresh ingredients like flowers or leaves is more expensive and harder to find, so he always prioritizes dried ingredients.
The materials used for dyeing fabrics are incredibly diverse.
He also experimented with various natural ingredients.
He also experimented with various natural ingredients.
The fabric dyeing process is elaborate.
The fabric dyeing process typically involves the following basic steps: the dyeing material is added to water and boiled for about 30 minutes. Once the water reaches a certain color, it is poured into a basin and a little cold water is added. The fabric is then placed in the basin and soaked for 10 to 15 minutes. After absorbing the dye, the fabric is spread on wooden or plastic racks to dry.
However, some materials are more complex; for example, indigo requires a fermentation process for dyeing, while others need to be soaked in alcohol to achieve the desired color. Natural dyes are more complex to use than industrial dyes because achieving a deep color requires multiple layers of dye. Sometimes, natural dyers have to dye dozens or even hundreds of times to get the desired shade. When drying, naturally dyed fabrics must also be dried in the shade.
Sometimes, people with naturally dyed hair have to dye their hair dozens, even hundreds of times, to achieve the desired color.
The dyeing process takes approximately 2-3 weeks, depending on the desired shade. After numerous trials and errors, Duc Huy has discovered over 50 colors using natural dyes.
A fabric is considered successfully dyed based on its color fastness. If, after dyeing, the color does not fade after washing, or if it fades very slowly when exposed to light, then the fabric is considered successfully dyed.
He is currently mainly dyeing silk because this material is suitable for making traditional costumes, and dyeing silk produces products with a higher brightness than cotton or other fabrics.
Young people are fascinated by traditional clothing products.
Duc Huy said that during the end of the year or on holidays, people order a lot of traditional costumes because of the trend of wearing them for photos. However, traditional costumes are generally more popular among young people, while traditional costumes dyed with natural materials are usually preferred by those aged 25 and above.
Because it requires more effort and materials, naturally dyed traditional costumes at Duc Huy's shop are currently 2-3 times more expensive than industrially or food-dyed products, ranging from 3 to 6 million VND. Traditional costumes made from naturally dyed fabrics are also quite selective in terms of buyers; he receives only 2-3 orders per month for naturally dyed costumes, while traditional costumes made from other fabrics might receive 10-20 orders.
Traditional clothing is becoming increasingly popular among young people.
Plans to develop traditional costumes made from naturally dyed fabrics.
Recognizing this as his long-term and serious career path, Duc Huy hopes to continue researching and developing more colors created using natural materials. He also aims to diversify the types of fabrics used to create traditional costumes from domestic sources, creating patterns on the fabric during dyeing instead of the current plain dyeing method. In addition, Duc Huy will conduct more in-depth research on Vietnamese fabrics to create new fabric sources for application in natural dyeing.
