A group of embroidery artisans in central Thua Thien-Hue province haslong embraced the demanding Japanese market, with more than 2,000embroidered kimonos exported to Kyoto each year.
Thehead of the groups, Le Van Kinh, who has 70 years of experience and isnow in his nineties, noted the handicraft work on kimonos requireshighly skilled craftsmen and it takes almost a month to complete asingle product.
The double sided embroidery technique,in which stitching takes place on both sides of a single transparentsilk fabric so that the designs are shown perfectly in the front andreverse, is employed here with an elegant colour blend from white togrey and vice versa, he said.
He went on to reveal that once finished, a traditional piece of the Japanese clothing is valued at over 50,000 USD.
According to Ida Atsushi, Director of Japan’s Sheui company, hisbusiness used 20 kimonos and eight belts embroidered by Kinh’s group,which were as fine as the Japanese creations, to showcase at the recent2015 Hue Traditional Crafts Festival.
Besides kimonos,Le Van Kinh has long been renowned for embroidering poems on silk. Manyof his artworks feature text from “Cao Tat Thi Chung” by Zen master ManGiac in up to 14 languages, including English, French, German andRussian. These have been presented at several exhibitions in and out ofthe country.
Until now, the artisan has passed downthe traditional handicraft for more than 100,000 others; and many ofthem are very well-known across Vietnam.
Le Van Kinh has been honoured with Eminent Artisan title in 2013.
From its heyday during the Nguyen Dynasty, Hue’s embroidery has stood out for its uniqueness and professional character.
When foreigners first set foot on Vietnam, they brought advancedtechniques from Western countries, leading to greater variety in Hue’sembroidered products – with some using traditional techniques and othersembracing French-style plain embroidery.-VNA
Thehead of the groups, Le Van Kinh, who has 70 years of experience and isnow in his nineties, noted the handicraft work on kimonos requireshighly skilled craftsmen and it takes almost a month to complete asingle product.
The double sided embroidery technique,in which stitching takes place on both sides of a single transparentsilk fabric so that the designs are shown perfectly in the front andreverse, is employed here with an elegant colour blend from white togrey and vice versa, he said.
He went on to reveal that once finished, a traditional piece of the Japanese clothing is valued at over 50,000 USD.
According to Ida Atsushi, Director of Japan’s Sheui company, hisbusiness used 20 kimonos and eight belts embroidered by Kinh’s group,which were as fine as the Japanese creations, to showcase at the recent2015 Hue Traditional Crafts Festival.
Besides kimonos,Le Van Kinh has long been renowned for embroidering poems on silk. Manyof his artworks feature text from “Cao Tat Thi Chung” by Zen master ManGiac in up to 14 languages, including English, French, German andRussian. These have been presented at several exhibitions in and out ofthe country.
Until now, the artisan has passed downthe traditional handicraft for more than 100,000 others; and many ofthem are very well-known across Vietnam.
Le Van Kinh has been honoured with Eminent Artisan title in 2013.
From its heyday during the Nguyen Dynasty, Hue’s embroidery has stood out for its uniqueness and professional character.
When foreigners first set foot on Vietnam, they brought advancedtechniques from Western countries, leading to greater variety in Hue’sembroidered products – with some using traditional techniques and othersembracing French-style plain embroidery.-VNA
