Having opened a year ago, the Quyen Design Shop at 125 Trung Nu Vuong Street has built up a good client base of regular customers.

Most of the items displayed in the shop, including shirts, dresses, trousers and ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dresses), are made of linen decorated with hand-drawn patterns.

Linen is a natural, cotton-like fabric, but it is lighter and softer.  Most of the linen items are available in large sizes and are suitable for ladies with strong personalities who love young and simple fashion styles.  However, this material is easily crumpled even if it is ironed carefully.

34-year-old Nguyen Thi Bao Quyen is the shop owner and she has designed all the displayed items.  Quyen said that her clothes feature various different designs, which gives her customers a wide selection.

A model wearing a modern ao dai featuring hand-drawn patterns