Ma Chau silk hopes for a revival.

With a history spanning nearly 500 years, Ma Chau silk is known for its ancient, precious patterns, durable quality, and smooth, firm, and sturdy fabric, embodying the distinctive characteristics of Quang Nam province – rustic, simple yet flowing and soft. Facing market competition from industrial fabrics and Chinese silks, the traditional silk and silk weaving craft of Ma Chau once seemed on the verge of oblivion.

Challenges from an ancient silk-producing region

With a long history, each piece of silk is imbued with cultural stories and the soul of Quang Nam province, but like many other ancient craft villages, Ma Chau silk village faces many challenges to survive and develop.

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Tran Thi Yen (owner of the Ma Chau silk brand) said: "The opening of the market has created fierce competition in terms of designs and prices. Coupled with the stubbornness of the villagers, silk designs have hardly been improved, widening the gap with modern tastes."

Ms. Tran Thi Yen stated that Ma Chau has restored the Lanh Hoa style (ancient imperial robes) which had been lost for over 200 years. At the same time, improvements have been made to the patterns and materials to suit modern fashion , allowing for wider market sales instead of being confined to museums.

According to Ms. Yen, the craft village also faces internal difficulties such as sourcing raw materials, preserving traditional weaving techniques (ensuring the unique characteristics of the silk region), and building a brand... There are also difficulties regarding capital. Ms. Yen stated that investing in silk production requires significant capital to purchase raw materials, equipment, improve product quality, and expand the market.

"We also face difficulties regarding production space. Coming from a silk weaving village, my family's biggest dream is to be given the opportunity to rent land, maintain the workshop, and develop the business on this very land…," Ms. Yen explained.

Upon learning of Ma Chau's story, designer Le Thanh Hoa stepped in, supporting Ma Chau with media promotion by using her fabrics to create designs for shows both domestically and internationally.

Determination from the young people of the craft village

Reviving an ancient silk tradition is no easy task. Its survival depends not only on the silk itself but also on creating a sustainable "ecosystem" for it.

Ms. Yen recounted: "My father is the 18th generation to inherit the ancestral craft. For decades, I watched him struggle with the craft and the village without finding a way forward, and I felt very sorry for him. As soon as I graduated from Da Nang University of Economics , I decided to return to the village to help my father, setting a goal to inherit the craft and find a direction for Ma Chau."

Ms. Yen returned to her hometown and developed a project titled "Restoring and Developing the Traditional Silk Craft Village of Ma Chau in conjunction with Experiential Tourism in the Craft Village," which she submitted to the Quang Nam Provincial Creative Startup Steering Committee. To date, she and her colleagues have completed phase 1 of the project (restoring production, transforming technology - applying modern digital technology to the production process of patterns for natural silk fabrics).

"To revive silk weaving, we invested in 10 looms and a modern digital head system at a cost of nearly 10 billion VND," Ms. Yen said.

Efforts to upgrade both the quality and appearance of the product have made Ma Chau silk a distinctive product in the market, meeting customer demands for a modern fashion item and pleasing fashion designers both domestically and internationally.

Thanks to the application of digital technology to the pattern-making process, replacing traditional cardboard technology, the amount of products produced by Ms. Yen's facility has increased fivefold compared to the old technology. It can now weave complex patterns, especially custom designs for customers, instead of the small, repetitive patterns of the old technology.

Besides designer Le Thanh Hoa, Ma Chau silk is also a favorite material of designers Huy Vo, Ngo Nhat Huy, LiA, and others.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Pham Ngoc Sinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Quang Nam province and Head of the Quang Nam Province Creative Startup Steering Committee, said that Ma Chau silk is considered a treasure of Quang Nam province, and Ms. Yen and her young friends in the craft village are breathing new life into it.

"With burning passion, these young people not only preserve traditional weaving techniques but also create modern designs that suit consumer tastes. Recently, with the support of the province and South Korea, Ma Chau silk village has been equipped with modern machinery and connected to widespread distribution channels. Ma Chau silk is therefore considered to have gained wings, and we hope it will become stronger and stronger," Mr. Sinh observed.

According to Mr. Sinh, the idea of ​​combining Ma Chau silk with tourism, conceived by Ms. Yen and other young people in the craft village, has opened up a promising new direction, allowing tourists not only to admire exquisite handcrafted products but also to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and people of Quang Nam province.

"Ma Chau silk, with its love stories and legends associated with the Thu Bon River, promises to shine even brighter in the global market," Mr. Sinh confidently stated.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-trang-tre/lua-ma-chau-uoc-vong-hoi-sinh-185240924155651955.htm