Happy New year Again! Its the chinese new year of the Buffalo, or is it an Ox?, I guess it depends where you live.
For those of us living in Asia Chinese New Year is a sort of a second chance at New Beginnings and all those Resolutions that we didn’t quite get around to making back in January.

Those people that “know” are telling us all that this year is going to be difficult, already over the world we are reading of lay offs, people are worried. I was shocked to read of the man who shot his children and his wife and then himself… The Japanese are predicting that more men this year will kill themselves over job stress and financial security than every before.

I read in the local newspapers here that entire handicraft villages are hungry because the containers they used to fill with their pottery, their lacquer ware, or their baskets are no longer leaving the shores of Vietnam, or if they are, they are not being paid for.

Here at Velvet Underground we employ 25 Women, directly, and indirectly hundreds of women in villages earn their living by producing for us their taffetas, their velvets and their silks. Women in villages far from Hanoi sit together in groups whilst their children are at school and embroider the sheets that you see on the pages of our website or have already on your beds at home.

I have to admit that the responsibility I feel towards these women is sometimes overwhelming. I have lived and worked with them for over 5 years now, watched their babies grow, listened to their stories of their other lives that is not our workshop. I am continually amazed by their skills, each her own. Some of us are hearing impaired, and I love the way we manage to convey the possibility of new products and ideas with huge gestures of are hands.. an international and wonderful tool for communication; it beats miss pronunciation any day.
Over the years people have tied to convince me that I should seek subsidies and aid because I employ handicapped women. I laugh. In my eyes they are far from handicapped. They are quite simply talented. the only real draw back is that when there is too much to talk the work, that requires their hands, is laid down.

We try, and I consider that we succeed, in being flexible. A sick baby, or a flash flood, are all good enough reasons to require a mother to stay at home without fear of losing her job, though I am not sure how we will fair in this recession.

For my part I am going to have to concentrate on being creative this year. it is not enough to just expect that people will buy are products, beautiful though they may be, lets face it, we produce products of desire, rather than need.

And then there is TET, or Chinese New year as the rest of the world knows it by. I didn’t take heed on monday and Tuesday, I was too busy blowing out the candles on my boys birthday cakes. they turned 17 and 15 earlier this week. But by friday the lull in our email account was audible. I hesitatingly mentioned to Van. “don’t you think its strange that we have received no emails this week?” “No its TET” she said “people are busy praying or not back at work yet…” It was then that I had to remind her that for the rest of the world TET is just another new moon, one of 12 in the year.
“Ring our email server provider” I said. and sure enough, they had cut us off. Our website no longer opens at the click of a button.. it might be off enjoying jupiter for all I know cyberspace being such a vast unknown for me. Incoming emails are returned directly to their sources as being “undeliverable” and the requests for bespoke velvet goods are hence seemingly ignored.

So, please, if you have written to us this week, please write again soon. Were not out too lunch. were not even home sick. we’ve just been inadvertently out of touch, and on behalf of our email server provider (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) we apologize.

In the mean time, happy new year from all of us!
x

Sunday 30th of November, Velvet Underground participate to the Charity Bazaar.It was a big day, but with a lot of fun, smiles and happy customers!

Funny to show you the differents steps of this day !

Beginning of the installation at 6.30 a.m.

Everything is ready at 9.00 a.m !

Velvet Underground team, with beautiful aprons.

At the lunch time, we enjoy the Brunei food : spicy and delicious !

All the afternoon, we were very busy !

5.00, end of the Bazaar. Tired but happy of the day !

All you want to know about Velvet Underground is inside :

Yesterday was Women’s day in Vietnam.

I don’t think it’s easy being a woman here, in a society of extended families often woman return home from a long day at work to look after not only their own, but those of their extended family. Some pedal or drive for hours in the heat or the rain in order to work.

Velvet Underground comprises of 25 woman, all of us have our own personal dreams lives and our own unique past.

I have to confess that often I find myself dreaming of morning teas, lazy afternoons painting or reading and a whole other life that does not require the nine to five of life in our workshop.

However today when I went into the shop I was greeted by Quynh, she was helping a customer, who she had met several times before and as with many other regulars, she knows her by her first name. I was struck by two things.. firstly her hair cut newly framing her smiling face, and secondly; by the confidence and ease with which she dealt with her customer. “I feel like Victoria Beckam!” she said, and we laughed. “go girl! “ I thought to myself…. Move over Victoria.

I guess Saturdays are good days for lazy afternoons.

]]> http://velvetundergroundhanoi.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/womens-day/feed/ 0 www.velvetunderground.biz Quynh and her daughter http://velvetundergroundhanoi.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/back-with-a-new-collection/ http://velvetundergroundhanoi.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/back-with-a-new-collection/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:51:10 +0000 velvetundergroundhanoi http://velvetundergroundhanoi.wordpress.com/?p=110 ]]>

We all know that « all work and no play makes jack a dull boy’ so after a wonderful summer break we came back to work with our heads and hearts full of good ideas. Two weeks later and a new collection was whipped up with four bold colours indigo, plum, lime green and pink.

We threw in some new accessories, a computor tray so we can safely surf the net in bed and a newer smaller zipped up version of our Toy boy designed by Huyen, one of our staff.

Here below a sneak preview of some of our new range, which after a busy week of sorting and photographing Isabelle is now uploading onto our website. All this making us exhausted and ready for another holiday…..thank goodness Christmas is just around the corner.

The final result on the website !

It was celebrated at the beginning of june in Vietnam.

At the french lycee Alexandre Yersin ( http://www.lyceefrancaishanoi.net/iprimaire/index.php ), the children of CM1 played “The Little Prince” of Antoine de St Exupery, directed by Tamara LITMANOWITSCH and Marcia FIANI.

With 25 little princes, one fox, one king, one flower, one aviator and so many characters, it was a charming performance, with philosopy and poetic metaphor.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”

And we organised a little party to meet the Velvet Underground new generation !

It was such a nice moment, with smiles, talkings, and tastings !

Recently we embarked on a rather special project.

One of our customers asked us to help her create a graduation gift for her son. It was to be a special gift, both sentimental and useful in his new life that he is about to embark on.

Hedda asked us if we could help her to make a patch work bed spread, but not an ordinary one, this bedspread needed to include pictures of Theo’s  life: his friends, his favourite places, and even his cat! so the first task was to sit down with Isabelle who helped her to select some 20 photos from the myriad of images that make up his memorie, and the colours of the fabric that they were to be printed into.

Then, with Nga and the girls we worked together to place the photos onto the patchwork for assembly.

The base of the patchwork is also rather special. it includes batik from Indonesia where Theo was born, strips were cut off his lion king duvet cover that was given to him as a Christening present and kept him covered  and warm  in his bed in Germany where he lived for 6 years, Blue silk represents Vietnam where he currently lives with his parents and his Teakwando belt was sewn on to represent his second favourite sport (his badmington racket would not have fit into the washing machine).

Theo is heading to Germany to study now and Hedda and Ernst are embarking on their own adventure in a caravan built for two… I  hope they keep in touch, look forward to hearing their stories of their travels and one day, perhaps we could make them another bed spread with what they collect during their journey.

We in our workshp  discovered the joys of printing on fabric some examples of which will be in the shop soon…. and that little boys become bigger boys all to quickly but leaving the nest might be that much easier if they can take bedding too.

For the 5^th concecutive year , the association «Coup de Pouce » (helping hand) (http://www.coupdepoucevn.org/ ) , an association which helps projects for the poor in vietnam through events and donations, organized a photo competition under the theme: “ Vietnam: through the eyes of a city” reserved for amateur photographers.

On the opening night , the jury rewarded the artists for originality, emotion and, creativity and Velvet Underground offered as the Jury’s price a squiggle linen bed spread and 2 pillow shams, it’s Veronique Gounaud with the picture No 14 who won!

Other prizes included an excursion day with Exotissimo ( http://www.exotissimo.com/ ) in Ba Trang and Bu Thap, dinner at the “Cafe des Arts” ( http://www.cafedesarts.com/ ), lunch at the restaurant Le Beaulieu, Sofitel Metropole ( http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/fr/sof/1555/fiche_hotel.shtml ), dinner at the Green Tangerine .

And the cocktail was very good, offered by Didier Corlou ( http://www.verticale-hanoi.com/) and Red Apron!

Through over 100 photos, some taken as though through child’s eye, with students wearing tradional au dai’s, or more traditional scenes such as a sunset over the west lake We see a common theme of small delights in hidden places.

The Exhibition is held at

L’ESPACE 24, Trang Tien in Hanoi

and is on until the 29th of May, and if you miss it, don’t worry ! A selection of these be printed on a calender for 2009 from which all proceeds will go to charity.

Our favourite : « Love and hopelessness » in Hoi An

Pour la 5 eme anne consecutive, l’association « Coup de Pouce », qui oeuvre a travers differents projets en faveur des plus demunis (http://www.coupdepoucevn.org/ ) organisait un concours Photos ayant pour theme “Vietnam : à travers la ville” reservcs aux photographes amateurs !

Lors du vernissage, le jury a recompense les artistes pour leur originalite, l’emotion degagee, la creativite, etc.Velvet Underground a offert une magnifique parure de lit aux surpiqures dansantes, en velours et lin, c’est Veronique Gounaud avec sa phot No 14 qui l’a remporte!

Les autres prix comprenaient une journee d’excursion avec Exotissimo ( http://www.exotissimo.com/ ) a Ba Trang et Bu Thap, un diner au “Cafe des Arts” ( http://www.cafedesarts.com/ ), un dejeuner au restaurant Le Beaulieu, Sofitel Metropole ( http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/fr/sof/1555/fiche_hotel.shtml ), un diner au Green Tangerine.

Et le cocktail etait delicieux, offertt par Didier Corlou ( http://www.verticale-hanoi.com/) and Red Apron!

A travers ces 100 photos, parcourez la ville a hauteur d’enfants, d’etudiantes portant leur costume traditionnel : “Ao dai”, admirez le coucher de soleil sur le lac Tay Ho.

Un concentre d’emotions, de petits bonheurs, de lieux caches.

Elle se tient jusqu’au 29 mai a l’Espace- Centre Culturel Francais jusqu’au 29 mai.

24, Trang Tien in Hanoi

Et ne vous inquietez pas si vous la manquez, les plus belles photos illustreront le calendrier 2009 !