HÀ NỘI — Nostalgia and memories of the past were the biggest inspirations for designer Trịnh Bích Thủy in her latest collection of padded jackets, presented yesterday in Hà Nội.

Thủy co-operated with painter Lê Thiết Cương to create the new collection. The fashionable jackets use patterns and details adopted from Cương’s paintings.

Thủy has been known for years for her efforts to bring padded jackets back to the modern time, making them contemporary and well-designed.

This year she introduced a new collection with images of old roofs, lotuses, “bird of paradise” flowers and daisies.

In the previous century, Hanoians donned their padded jackets at the start of each winter. Rich people wore expensive coats made from velvet, silk and brocade, while the poor often used the same worn jacket year after. Everyone, man or woman, young or old, owned a padded jacket.

When Thủy was young, she realised that though the padded jackets are monotonous, people still wear them when winter comes. She hoped to redesign the jacket to make it look more eye-catching.

For the designer, the jackets are more than fashion statements.

“Padded jackets remind many people of the past,” she said. “I still remember my mother and grandmother wearing them.”

Designer Thủy used these jackets as inspiration to create stylish cotton outerwear on which she painted one-of-a-kind designs and embroidered patterns.

Thủy doesn’t stop renovating padded jackets. Every year she releases a new collection of them.

"More than an outer layer to keep warm in winter, each padded jacket is a symbol of Hà Nội’s culture and elegance," she said.

The exhibition of Thủy’s padded jackets will run until December 31 at the Hà Nội Old Quarter Culture Exchange Centre, 50 Đào Duy Từ Street, Hà Nội. — VNS