When people speak about buying something they like and others then want to buy it, they are doing what is called word-of-mouth marketing.
In France, a French woman who once travelled to Viet Nam told another French woman about a wonderful dress she had had made for her in Ha Noi.
When the second French woman arrived in Viet Nam on holiday she immediately went to the shop to also get a dress made for her.
Celebrity clientele: The tailor has made custom garments for famous personalities, including Jacques Chirac and John Kerry.
Between wooden shelves packed with hundreds of silk bolts, Camille Lavergnas looks happily into the mirror.
Standing next to Lavergnas, dressmaker Hoang Kim Thuy examines the dress to make sure that every detail is perfect.
“Do you want the train a bit shorter? Do you feel comfortable at the shoulder and waist?” Thuy asks.
If her client wanted any adjustment, Thuy would make it. She wants her clients to be completely happy when they leave her shop, Thuy An, which she named after herself and her daughter An.
Among Ha Noi’s thousands of tailor shops, of which several are nearby on the same street, many people choose Thuy’s to get custom-made clothes.
“When one of my friends wore a tartan taffeta jacket, she received many compliments. She revealed it was tailor-made in Ha Noi. So when I planned a trip to the city, I asked her about the tailor shop where she made the order. And now I’m here,” explains the French tourist.
However, instead of getting only a jacket as she intended, Lavergnas also purchased a skirt suit, a silk dress and a Vietnamese ao dai.
“I couldn’t stop myself when I saw so many beautiful taffeta and silk fabrics at the shop,” she says. “I made the right decision to visit this shop. When I came out of the fitting room in this beautiful ao dai, I felt I had become another woman – very chic and beautiful.”
Located on Hang Bong, one of the most bustling streets in down town Ha Noi, the shop has greeted many foreign customers. The first ones came in the 1990s: Thai and South Korean expats who passed by the shop on their way to church every Sunday morning.
“They brought many beautiful silks to my shop. It was the first chance I had to work with such top-tier fabric,” Thuy says.
Realising that such fine fabric could create chic clothing items, Thuy decided to focus only on this gorgeous material.
“While most other tailor shops in Ha Noi at that time purchased popular fabric from China and South Korea, I wanted to find my own fabric supplier. However, it was hard to find such quality cloth in Viet Nam,” says the couturier, who looks much younger than her age of 49.
Van Phuc Village, the only silk village on the outskirts of Ha Noi, has far fewer weavers than in previous years. But Thuy managed to find artisan Trieu Van Mao, the only craftsman in the village who could weave van silk, which was used to make outfits for Queen Nam Phuong of the Nguyen dynasty in the middle of the last century.
“Instead of the standard fabric that he usually created, I asked him to produce high thread silk. In addition, I required that it be colourfast,” Thuy said.
However, the manual weaving method limited the number of patterns that could be produced with Van Phuc silk.
To enrich her tailoring materials, Thuy travelled to the Bao Loc silk region in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, where quality silk and chiffon in various designs and colours are produced.
“Silk producers in Bao Loc always get up-to-date information about international fashion trends, so they produce fabric with trendy patterns,” Thuy says. She also expanded her network of fabric suppliers in Da Nang, which, she says, “has the best taffeta”.
Her shop currently offers about 500 different types of silk, including shantung, organza, taffeta, chiffon, sateen and muslin.
Significant customers
In addition to the diverse collection of silk, Thuy’s tailoring skills, which she has honed since she was a teenager, have turned her customers into devoted clients. On the walls of the shop hang large photos featuring Thuy together with many famous people. Ton Nu Thi Ninh, former Vietnamese ambassador to Belgium and the EU, was a regular customer for more than 10 years before she moved to HCM City.
“In addition to providing very good service, she offers the best quality and broadest variety of silk with both traditional and contemporary designs and colours,” the former diplomat said.
Ninh chooses silk for most of her clothes because the natural cloth “allows the skin to breathe”.
However, she is also on a mission to display Vietnamese silks to the world. It seems to be working, as foreign visitors and officials often inquire about the silks she wears.
“Many of them are surprised to hear it’s Vietnamese silk,” she says. “They associate silk only with China, Thailand or India.”
Ninh recalls taking the spouse of speaker of the US House of Representatives Dennis Hastert, who was visiting Viet Nam, together with female members in the congressional delegation to Thuy An to have silk clothes made within 36 hours.
“Needless to say, they were very happy,” says Ninh.
Other personalities Thuy An welcomed include French president Jacques Chirac, US Senator John Kerry, and their wives.
“I often have to work for the whole night to complete a customer’s order before their flight the next day,” Thuy says.
After many years, Thuy now has a significant number of loyal customers.
“I have some extra kilogrammes, but I feel completely confident whenever I wear clothes tailored by Thuy An,” said Vu Thi Lieu, a client for nearly 10 years.
Thuy’s eldest daughter, An, who spent four years in Paris studying fashion design, makes an efficient assistant.
“While I have many years of experience in tailoring, my daughter has very good taste in fashion, so we support each other,” Thuy says.
An seems to have inherited her mother’s passion. She recently opened her own boutique, featuring silk designs she creates with young people in mind. — VNS
GLOSSARY
Between wooden shelves packed with hundreds of silk bolts, Camille Lavergnas looks happily into the mirror.
A bolt is a large roll of cloth.
“Do you want the train a bit shorter? Do you feel comfortable at the shoulder and waist?” Thuy asks.
A train is part of a gown that trails behind the person who is wearing it.
If her client wanted any adjustment, Thuy would make it.
An adjustment means a change.
Among Ha Noi’s thousands of tailor shops, of which several are nearby on the same street, many people choose Thuy’s to get custom-made clothes.
Clothes that are custom-made are made especially for the customer and not for anyone who happens to look at it and may want to buy it.
“When one of my friends wore a tartan taffeta jacket, she received many compliments.
A tartan has many lines running at right angles to one another in its pattern.
Tafetta is a fine silk with a crisp texture.
Compliments are nice things people say about someone.
She revealed it was tailor-made in Ha Noi.
To reveal something to someone means to tell them something that was a bit of a secret.
Like custom-made, tailor-made means made for a certain customer.
“I couldn’t stop myself when I saw so many beautiful taffeta and silk fabrics at the shop,” she says.
Fabric is cloth.
Located on Hang Bong, one of the most bustling streets in down town Ha Noi, the shop has greeted many foreign customers.
A bustling street is one that is busy and full of people doing things, such as shopping.
The first ones came in the 1990s: Thai and South Korean expats who passed by the shop on their way to church every Sunday morning.
Expats is short for expatriates. They are people living in a country who come from another country and who still regard their countries of origin as home.
“It was the first chance I had to work with such top-tier fabric,” Thuy says.
Top-tier fabric means top of the range fabric – the very best.
Realising that such fine fabric could create chic clothing items, Thuy decided to focus only on this gorgeous material.
Chic means fashionable and stylish.
“While most other tailor shops in Ha Noi at that time purchased popular fabric from China and South Korea, I wanted to find my own fabric supplier.”
To purchase means to buy.
But Thuy managed to find artisan Trieu Van Mao, the only craftsman in the village who could weave van silk, which was used to make outfits for Queen Nam Phuong of the Nguyen dynasty in the middle of the last century.
A dynasty is a family that rules a country, generation after generation.
“Instead of the standard fabric that he usually created, I asked him to produce high thread silk. In addition, I required that it be colourfast,” Thuy said.
Something that is colourfast is dyed in colours that will not fade or be washed out.
However, the manual weaving method limited the number of patterns that could be produced with Van Phuc silk.
Manual means operated by hand.
To enrich her tailoring materials, Thuy travelled to the Bao Loc silk region in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, where quality silk and chiffon in various designs and colours are produced.
Chiffon is a light, transparent fabric typically made of silk or nylon.
In addition to the diverse collection of silk, Thuy’s tailoring skills, which she has honed since she was a teenager, have turned her customers into devoted clients.
If something is diverse, it shows lots of variety or difference.
To hone a skill means to develop it.
“In addition to providing very good service, she offers the best quality and broadest variety of silk with both traditional and contemporary designs and colours,” the former diplomat said.
If something is contemporary, it relates to the present times.
After many years, Thuy now has a significant number of loyal customers.
Loyal customers are those who come back often and offer support.
She recently opened her own boutique, featuring silk designs she creates with young people in mind.
A boutique is a small shop that sells fashionable things.
WORKSHEET
Find words that mean the following in the Word Search:
1. Expatriates from this country were living in Viet Nam in the 1990s.
2. The day of the week these people go to church.
3. A country in Europe where Ton Nu Thi Ninh was once Viet Nam’s ambassador.
4. A type of silk used to make outfits for Queen Nam Phuong of the Nguyen dynasty in the middle of the last century.
5. The country where Jacques Chirac was once president.
cranspordecadebpofomnmvfgeaepuadlrvokbdrnwzestacoaebreoresrurilhnnwhspuhfsnncalibcteiaarodntxlrgbelgiumnasjvasnhotnybonykzrjrsrtetncyemzvhetigerooerlwwbterminalsnsyyqnmnzseparatistthailandbqtkuwb
ANSWERS:
© Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2014
1. Thailand; 2. Sunday; 3. Belgium; 4. Van; 5. France.
Word-of-mouth marketing helps Ha Noi tailor Related image(s)
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