The designer making Vietnamese 19th-century outfits fashionable again

Nguyen Duc Loc reproduces outfits largely from a time when the ruling class wore extravagant, brightly coloured designs embellished with symbols of power, such as dragons. Photo: AFP

Made from delicate silk, intricately embroidered and with vast, flared sleeves: Vietnamese 19th-century outfits do not seem a perfect fit for life in the country's hectic modern cities.

But Nguyen Duc Loc, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, together with his 11-strong production team in Hanoi, is convinced the attire of their ancestors can make a return to modern-day living.