Hang has traveled throughout Vietnam to find the best silk for her products. She visited Bao Loc silk production area in Lam Dong, saw production chains and many long-standing factories; and met craftsmen who have special love for weaving. She decided to take Bao Loc as the place to create her high-class silk products. Using digital printing to create beautiful designs, which combine nature and culture of the east and a modern, sophisticated style of the west, Hang’s products are breathed with new fresh air.

Van Hang, the founder and CEO of DeSilk, a Vietnamese luxury silk brand established in 2018 (Photo: Van Hang's Official Facebook)

“Luckily we have Minh Pham as a designer. He is Vietnamese-Swiss. He naturally loves Vietnam and he wants to contribute to Vietnam. All his works of art combine both Eastern and Western elements. When people look at our products, what they see is not only a silk product, it’s the soul of Vietnam. Up to now, we have launched five collections,” Hang said. 

Minh Pham is a Vietnamese-Swiss man who studied design in Paris and has collaborated with many major world fashion brands. Like many Vietnamese expatriates, Minh wanted to do more for Vietnam.

“As you can see, behind the products there are not only beautiful things but a deeper meaning and questions behind it. What I’m trying to do with the brand is actually creating an image of 3 elements: nature, culture, and craftsmanship, and give it a modern view. Not only myself giving another view, but giving our customers the ability and even the awareness of Vietnamese nature, culture, and craftsmanship. That’s what we are trying to do with our brand,” said Minh. 

CEO Van Hang and Art Director Minh Pham discuss on DeSilk's upcoming collection (Photo: Minh Pham)

Innovative designs combined with both traditional and digital techniques have allowed DeSilk to create unique products that not only show the skill of Vietnamese weavers, but also create a new look for Vietnamese silk. From this silk, the craftsmen can customize the arrangement of details to create beautiful Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) with numerous stories imprinted on them. Van Hang said her company has participated in several events to promote Vietnamese silk. 

“Recently, DeSilk attended to a cultural event hosted by the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington D.C. The event saw the participation of the wives of ambassadors of ASEAN countries in the US. They modeled Vietnamese Ao Dai that were designed by DeSilk. The group included the wives of the ambassadors of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, along with the wives of staff from the Embassy of Vietnam in the US. They were so happy at the event.”

DeSilk attends to a cultural event hosted by the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington D.C (Photo: DeSilk)

“The fashion show was fabulous. It was a good initiative by Madame Van Hang to bring all the ASEAN’s spouses to do the Ao Dai fashion show to show the world how beautiful the Ao Dai is.”

Ms. Cholatip Sangrat, spouse of the Thai Ambassador created a strong impression when she appeared in an Ao Dai with colorful patterns designed by DeSilk. She said she used to live in Hanoi as her husband was previously the Thai Ambassador to Hanoi, and she loves wearing silk Ao Dai and has bought herself several. Ms. Haflin Nazri Aziz is spouse of the Malaysian Ambassador. She’s been to Vietnam, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City several times and was impressed once seeing Vietnamese women walking in the street wearing Ao Dai.

“I love Vietnamese silk. It’s very cooling and comforting. And it’s a good experience, like you know when we were walking together, I feel it’s very harmonious and shows we are united as ASEAN countries,” Haflin Nazri Aziz said. 

The event was organized by the ASEAN Women’s Circle in Washington to introduce their cultures to international friends. Guests were introduced to the history of the Vietnamese Ao Dai and Ao Dai made of DeSilk silk. Tran Thi Bich Van is the wife of the Vietnamese Ambassador to the US.

“I have a wish to spread Vietnamese cultural values to American friends to help them know more about Vietnam. One of the things I really like is Vietnamese silk and the Ao Dai. That’s why since I came here I’ve tried to create activities to introduce Vietnam through the Ao Dai and Vietnamese silk. This year I want to focus on DeSilk, one of my favorite brands of silk because it combines the East and West. DeSilk is produced in Vietnam but the patterns are created by a Vietnamese designer living in Switzerland. Those designs are all from the Vietnamese culture, from betel leaves to lotus,” said Tran Thi Bich Van. 

Tran Thi Bich Van, the wife of the Vietnamese Ambassador to the US modeled Vietnamese Ao Dai that were designed by DeSilk (Photo: DeSilk's official Facebook Fanpage)

To turn DeSilk into a leading luxury brand in Vietnam, CEO Van Hang has focused on 3 core values: creativity, discipline, and benefits for all people involved in the production chain including farmers, weavers, and customers. The company has short-term and long-term plans to promote Vietnamese weaving to more and more people. Hang said:

“Recently, Vietnam was elected to the world Heritage Committee for the 2023‑2027 tenure. To celebrate that event, we plan to develop a new collection on the Nature Heritage of Vietnam. We hope our upcoming collection will bring the Vietnamese image closer to international friends. In the upcoming time, we will collaborate with some silk artisans in traditional silk villages to elevate their products by creating beautiful patterns on their traditional fabric such as Nam Cao silk in Thai Binh province and Ma Chau silk in Hoi An City. To meet the demand of younger people, we will launch a project to produce a silk hoodie with a Vietnamese pattern, which we hope will be a bridge for young people to bring our product to more and more people.”