Once upon a time, a small highland village in southern Vietnam adopted the revered silk-making techniques of Japan and Korea, making some of the most high-quality fabrics in the country. This knowledge was then passed from one generation to the next, becoming a treasured ancestral craft. Journey with us as we travel to Bao Loc and discover where the magic of Vietnamese silk begins.

In the middle of May, our CEO and creative director invited a team of models, photographers, makeup artists, and a stylist assistant to discover the secrets behind Bao Loc’s traditional silk methods.

THE TEAM

As our crew drove into Bao Loc, we were taken aback by the village’s rustic beauty, soaking in the pretty vistas dotted with colorful wildflowers and veiled in a misty fog. The scene resembled a quaint version of its more popular neighbor, Da Lat, with high mountains, steep hills, and deep valleys. A rich, green color with pockets of contrasting red soil covered the area as far as the eye can see, from the waterfalls and streams to the gently rolling tea hills.

We met with Mr. Nguyễn Trung Hiếu, one of our silk artisan partners of over 12 years, who showed us the intricacies of the silk production process…planting highland mulberry trees, cultivating worms at the farm, collecting the silk from the cocoons, spooling and weaving the fine fibers, and hand-printing patterns onto the finished fabric.

Mr. Nguyễn explained that when war ravaged the country continuously from the 1960s, silk production threatened to become extinct. The villagers of Bao Loc fought to keep their ancestral craft alive by applying synchronous advanced methods, such as planting mulberry varieties and employing modern silkworm breeding techniques. Bao Loc’s persistence and ingenuity have created silk so fine that it’s become the “silk capital of Vietnam” as well as a national pride.

Over the course of three days, we explored Bao Loc from sunrise to sunset, taking advantage of the epic landscapes and shooting from scenes above the clouds to raw industrial factories. The gorgeous setting of the “silk capital of Vietnam” set a fitting tone for our fine collections, adorned by our favorite models and shot by our favorite photographers.

The journey to Bao Loc was an incredible adventure, where our models and photographers discovered the making of the silk fabric showcased in our photoshoots, and where our beloved silk artisans examined up close the wearable art created from their precious craft. It’s a tale that comes full circle, and one we hope continues for years to come.