BackArts & Culture » Vietnamese Designer Fuses Ancient Dyeing Techniques With Modern Fashion

Vietnamese Designer Fuses Ancient Dyeing Techniques With Modern Fashion

A Vietnamese fashion designer has partnered with a group of women in rural northern Vietnam to use traditional methods to grow and produce natural dyes and fabrics for her clothing line.

The Creators Project shares the story of Vu Thao, who runs an eco-conscious clothing company called Kilomet 109. After graduating from design school, Thao reached out to women from Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups to learn the art of natural dyeing, silk production and fabric weaving, the website reports.

Four and a half years ago, she began partnering with a group of women in Cao Bang Province who grow indigo and magenta plants that produce rich colors. The artisans live in a village eight hours from Hanoi, and Thao visits every two months to help plant and harvest the crops and try out new hues. “They’re used to working with traditional colors, like black indigo, which they’ve produced for generations,” the designer told The Creators Project. “So when I started working with them and wanted to experiment with new shades, they weren’t convinced at the beginning,” she adds.

Mashed yams are used to create dye in Cao Bang Province. Photos via VWAA.

Since they began working with each other, Thao and the women have created 10 shades of indigo for Kilomet 109 designs. The fashionista favors minimal designs that pay subtle homage to ancestral outfits. According to her, “a lot of people look upon ethical or sustainable fashion as boring. They think it’s only earth tones, nothing exciting. But that’s not true. There’s so much out there to try,” she shares.

Thao laments the gradual disappearance of crafts being handed down from one generation to the next. The website quotes her saying “working with these women, one-on-one, you feel responsible for finding a way to preserve their techniques. The kids from ethnic villages go to big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to study, and they start wearing the same clothes as the rest of the world.”

Those looking to learn more about such traditional techniques can do so courtesy of Vacation With an Artist, which allows visitors to spend five days with Thao while learning how to cultivate natural dye from the land.

[Photo via ]


Related Articles:

Graphic Designer Recreates Saigon's Colorful Concrete Tiles in New Book

Maison Kenji: Emerging Designers Push the Vision of Fashion in Vietnam

Fashion Is Art At Dzung Yoko’s First Solo Exhibition


Related Articles

in Culture

On the Hunt for One-of-a-Kind Treasures in Saigon's Thriving Thrift Shops

In the summer of 2021, Hương Nguyễn decided to pivot away from her office job and launch an online thrift store called Vintage Hearts. She was motivated by how difficult it was to find clothing in Sai...

in Ton-sur-Ton

Tarp, but Make It Fashion: A Saigon Trio Upcycles Canopies Into Backpacks

With a love for the environment and ample creativity, Kiều Anh, Trang, and Tú Quân have built a unique fashion brand named Dòng Dòng Sài Gòn. The line of bags and other items created from recycled tar...

in Culture

To Learn How to Love Your Jeans Sustainably, Talk to Saigon's Denimheads

I never feel better than when I am ensconced in denim. This love for jeans is caught up in my genuine adoration of the cowboy aesthetic, the particular beauty of a denim-clad ass and the snug hug of a...

in Arts & Culture

Weaving a Realm: Documenting Vietnam's Royal Costumes From the 15th Century

In their latest crowdfunding project, Vietnam Centre is combining the fashion design and history in a comprehensive art book detailing the ancient Vietnamese costumes worn during the late Le dynasty.

in Culture

An Exploration of H'Mông Fashion Through the Eyes of a Young H'Mông Curator

Combining elements of the traditional and the modern, Hnubflower and her collaborators have brought to life a project to recreate the fashion of many H’Mông communities in provinces across Vietnam.

in Ton-sur-Ton

Chiecquanque Breathes Life Into Patchwork to Create Unique Handmade Clothing

Chiecquanque is an independent fashion brand presenting clothing items, backpacks and bags that were handcrafted. Each item that the store carries is a one-off creation that exists on its own due to t...

Partner Content