A fashion week on Ao dai or Vietnam’s traditional dress in Fukuoka, Japan, helps honor the national costumes in Japan, bringing Vietnamese culture closer to Japanese people.
| The “Vietnam’s Ao Dai Week in Fukuoka” fashion show takes place in Fukuoka, Japan on January 18-21. Photos: Baoquocte |
The festival, the first of its kind held in Fukuoka, taking place from January 18 to January 21 gathers more than 40 designers, artists, and models from Vietnam and Japan, showcasing the beauty of national costumes that date back thousands of years.
The “Vietnam’s Ao Dai Week in Fukuoka” fashion show aims to promote Vietnamese culture and tourism in Fukuoka and Kyushu. Through the program, the organizing committee hopes to label Fukuoka an appealing travel destination and a place worth living among foreign visitors and Vietnamese worldwide, said Vietnam’s Consul General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai.
The fashion show displayed 160 Ao dai dress from four Vietnamese designers namely Miss Vietnam 2010 Ngoc Han, Cao Minh Tien, Che Quyet Tien, and Tran Thien Khanh through the performances of Miss Peace 2022 Runer-up Mai Ngo, Miss Peace 2023 Runer-up Hong Hanh, Model Ngoc Anh, Model Kim Phuong, Model Tuong Van, and models and artists from the Vietnamese community in Kyushu.
Designer, Miss Vietnam 2010 Ngoc Han brought to the show a collection of Ao dai made from kimono fiber featuring Kim Hoang painting – a genre of folk painting lost for a long time and recently restored.
The event marked the presence of Vietnam’s Consul-General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai, renowned musician Quoc Trung, Vice Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture Akie Omagari, Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly’s Chairman Kohara Katsuji, among others.
| Consul General Vu Chi Mai speaks at the fashion show. |
Speaking at the event, Consul General Vu Chi Mai said: “Every Ao dai is a work of art, with the designers putting their love and passion into every pattern and color choice, such as the tasteful pairing of Japanese blue ceramics and obi strips as examples of how this is done.”
“Every collection tells a significant tale that disseminates Vietnamese cultural values throughout the globe and highlights the cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Japan,” she emphasized.
Vice Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture Akie Omagari shared: “I'm wearing an Ao dai today too. This is a great chance for visitors and residents of the province to discover the beauty and cultural significance of Vietnamese Ao dai. We hope a large number of people will take advantage of this event, which offers them a chance to learn about traditional Vietnamese culture.”
Meanwhile, Inoue Hirotaka, Vice Chairman of the Japan – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance in Fukuoka, said the fashion week is a good chance to promote the relationship between Fukuoka and Hanoi as this year marks the 10th anniversary of the friendship ties established with the Hanoi People’s Committee.
He said this Ao Dai Fashion Week offers a chance to learn about Vietnamese culture and encourage cross-cultural interactions with the Fukuoka-based Vietnamese community. He bet that after seeing the stunning Ao dai and attending the performances, the interest in and knowledge of Vietnamese culture would grow.
“We will keep pushing for cooperation to increase communication between the two nations even more. We look forward to your ongoing assistance and collaboration in fostering cordial interactions,” Inoue Hirotaka stated.
| Vice Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture Akie Omagari in Ao dai at the show. |
Kim Hoang Ao Dai Collection by Miss Vietnam 2010 Ngoc Han features Vietnam’s long dress with Kim Hoang painting, Vietnamese woodcut painting genres have their roots in Hanoi’s outlying district of Hoai Duc, having patterns close to rural areas of the northern region.
The collection has twenty models featured in the show "Where I was born," and includes sets for both adults and children.
Truc Thanh Ao Dai Collection by designer Che Quyet Tien presents an unobstructed perspective of Bat Trang ceramic patterns. Typical colors like blue, jade green and jade white accurately capture the motifs that artists frequently paint on their ceramic products.
Blue is used frequently in the collection to highlight the gentle color tone and the women's flowing Ao dai, which reveal their desire for peace.
Minh Kim Tien Hac Ao Dai Collection by designer Tran Thien Khanh uses the crane as the central motif to illustrate the noble and unadulterated beauty of Vietnamese women through Ao dai. Additionally, the phoenix, dragon, and cloud motifs are deftly incorporated through hand embroidery or painting.
Can Y Ao Dai Collection by designer Tran Thien Khanh brings a tale from the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century with a code of conduct conveyed through the patterns and designs. Through the dresses, the designer wants to convey a message of national resilience and disseminate the message among the overseas Vietnamese community.
| The show displays some collections of Ao dai. |
