CO’TU,RE is a fashion-conscious, fair-trade collection fusing high fashion with the art of weaving, produced by the brand AVANA.
Belgian designers Aldegonde van Alsenoy (Ava) and Nele De Block are the designers behind the brand. AVANA operates responsibly, sharing a common vision of sustainability with their partners, and working with their weavers and producers on equal footing, also offering them training to help support their livelihood in the long-term. AVANA’s creations are handcrafted and assembled by local tailors in Hoi An.
AVANA’s vision is to dispel boundaries, therefore their garments are gender-fluid and empower men and women alike, while bridging the east and the west. The result is a rich blend of influences and cultures.
To find out more about sustainability practices within the AVANA brand, I talked to the designer to find out how she became one of the pioneers of sustainable fashion in Vietnam.
How did you start the brand AVANA?
My background is in social enterprise and before coming to Vietnam I worked on a project with Assyrian refugees that were skilled at weaving, where I helped them to develop creative techniques, as well as integrating inside the Belgian labour market.
When I came to live in Vietnam I began looking into traditional weaving communities and started working on a similar project that was funded by local Vietnamese government agencies, together with the UN’s International Labour Organisation. This initiative led to the birth of the Co Tu Ya Ya co-operative.
The Co Tu are known as the “People of the Forest” because of their strong affinity with nature. Living sustainably and self-sufficiently in the highland wooded areas of Central Vietnam, the Co Tu is among the few tribal groups within Vietnam who remain untarnished by development and commercial tourism. Weaving is an essential part of the Co Tu’s everyday living – providing clothing, kitchen and other relevant items, home decor, spiritual items, and it has also become a reason to gather and socialize. When the harvest for the season is not abundant, the villagers do not eat well, and since the parents of these young women do not want them to depend on the annual harvests, the project DhRoong Weavers was set-up, which aimed at improving women’s income in Dhroong from traditional brocade weaving.
Ava and Nele worked with the Co Tu weavers of the Dhroong Community to help them form their own business group, Co Tu Ya Ya. Ava coached them to operate as suppliers, while Nele provided technical and design support. The cooperative produces handwoven textiles for various clients, including AVANA.
What was the inspiration for the CO’TU,RE collection?
The CO’TU,RE collection was inspired by the bead weaving techniques of the Co Tu hill tribe women and includes handwoven appliqués produced by the Co Tu weavers. These are combined with high-quality fabrics like silk and other natural textiles, and leather features to create individually-designed pieces that help to preserve skilled craftmanship in Vietnam and support indigenous weaving communities. The shapes and uses of the garments are also inspired from the origins of the Co Tu tribal cultures and traditions, translated into contemporary, unique clothing and accessories. Each garment tells an individual story and is an original one-off ready-to-wear piece with a tribal twist.
The Co Tu tribe is Vietnam ‘s second-largest ethnic group out of the 54 in the country. Brocade weaving is an important part of their heritage. Using a backstrap loom, weavers manoeuvre their bamboo devices in harmony with their body’s movements – a historic craft that has been passed down through generations. Each piece comprises red, white, and blue bands, with glass beads threaded in to create symbolic patterns. The more beads that are integrated, the more labour-intensive the weave becomes, hence, the more valuable the piece becomes.
Where do you source your fabrics?
Fabric is the main inspiration for the collections. Our fabrics and textiles are carefully sourced from around the world, mainly from Asian, African, and European regions. We use repurposed fabrics, buying from several factories in Malaysia – this is unused end of rolls or fabric pieces that are excess to manufacturing, from International designer brands. We also buy local silks from Quang Nam, but it is difficult to buy fully sustainable silk in Vietnam, as traditionally the silkworm cocoons are boiled, killing the silkworm in the process. Silk was among one of central Vietnam’s most prosperous industries in the 15th century, and was traded with Europeans at the busy port in Hoi An, but the trade faded by the late 1990s as market reforms were introduced, making it difficult to compete against cheap machine-made textiles. In recent years, however, the last local silk makers have revived the traditional craft of Quang Nam’s silk producers, introducing modern techniques to production.
How are you inspired by the Zero-Waste Movement?
AVANA’s creative process is largely inspired by the zero-waste movement; in addition to using reclaimed and repurposed materials, we recycle any left-over fabrics and either reintroduce them into our new collections, sometimes incorporating collage into the garments, or we use leftovers to make sunglasses and jewellery bags, so that nothing goes to waste.
Do you think there is a future for sustainable fashion in Vietnam?
We haven’t been able to find organic silk in Vietnam, and cotton production is in huge decline, as the price of cotton has been dropping internationally and cotton farmers have not been able to compete. About 80% of Vietnam’s cotton is rain-fed, with planting occurring during the wet season of July through to August, which makes it more sustainable, as generally it can take about 10,000 litres of water to produce one kilogramme of cotton fabric, however cotton farming is on the decline as many farmers today are opting to grow higher value crops such as beans, corn, vegetables and rice, which are also less labour-intensive. Farmland is also limited, and therefore Vietnam still relies on cotton imports. Another issue is that the market in Vietnam is over-loaded by a vast array of synthetic options and many people do not understand the characteristics and value of cotton. Cotton is comfortable to wear and is known as “breathable” and absorbent. Cotton can also stand up against abrasion, however it can be affected by the humid weather in Vietnam as it can be damaged by mildew and by prolonged exposure to sunlight.
In Vietnam there are many small independent brands and in Hoi An there are 700 tailors making bespoke garments, as well as school uniforms and small production orders for small businesses, which makes this a more sustainable alternative to buying mass produced clothing. Hoi An’s tailors are master copiers and are famous for making near-identical outfits from a picture; a few of Hoi An’s tailors have now also diversified into making shoes and bags. Tailors are small business owners, and when you invest in small businesses you know exactly who is making your clothing and are paying for school fees and dinners for real families directly.
For more information go to: https://www.avanavietnam.com/
This is so cool!