Ngoc Han took the photos in Fukuoka Prefecture in 0-2 degrees Celsius weather during a business trip in early February. The event was part of a cultural exchange program for Vietnamese people in Japan. She launched two Ao Dai collections, one inspired by Kim Hoang paintings and the other by Obi - the belt on a traditional kimono.

Ngoc Han poses in a modern shirt with dragon motifs from Kim Hoang's painting, combined with a straw bag.

The Kim Hoang painting genre of Vietnam was formed in the second half of the 18th century from the merger of the two villages of Kim Bang and Hoang Bang, later called Kim Hoang. The themes of the paintings are close to everyday life, images of pigs, chickens, and the Northern countryside. The paintings are drawn on red paper, so they are also called red paintings. People often buy and give paintings during Tet with the wish to pray for good fortune and prosperity in their homes. After floods, crop failures, and famine, this genre gradually declined and disappeared after 1945. In 2015, it was restored by artisan Dao Dinh Chung.

Kim Hoang paintings are a combination of printing, coloring, and drawing skillfully to create a painting with clear lines. Ngoc Han had difficulty putting the works on clothes because she had to try many times on different materials.

The painting themes are rich, so she asked for advice from artisans to put images of dragons, phoenixes, and carps transforming into dragons on the ao dai using 3D printing techniques.

Using familiar materials such as silk, taffeta, and linen, Ngoc Han focuses on promoting traditional waist-cinching or straight-cut designs that are popular today.

In the ao dai collection inspired by the Obi of kimono, Ngoc Han said she collected Obi during many visits to Japan and cherished making ao dai from these pieces of fabric. She launched the collection last year but has not had the opportunity to perform on a big stage.

Obi pieces are assembled and placed on the skirt.

Y Ly Photo: Le Trong

Vnexpress.net