Recently in Hanoi, designers Pham Ba Lam and Tran Phuong Thao introduced to the public the cultural space of hemp and the traditional weaving craft of Mong people through their Terrace Collection. The collection reflects the young designers’s efforts to connect fashion with cultural preservation, reviving the value of traditional hemp-weaving craft of the Mong community.
The collection features 30 designs inspired by the majestic terraced fields, created from handwoven hemp fabric combined with traditional Ma Chau silk, illustrating the intersection between indigenous craftsmanship and contemporary aesthetics. Each design tells a story of intergenerational connection, promoting a mindful lifestyle that preserves cultural identity and grows in harmony with nature.
The Terrace Collection show is part of Hemp Journey — a project aimed at establishing a hemp-weaving cooperative and a community centre for the Mong people in Vietnam’s high-mountain regions. The project is carried out through a series of artistic activities, exhibitions, fashion shows, and explorations of indigenous culture, with the goal of preserving and promoting the value of hemp in the daily life of the Mong community, while also creating sustainable livelihoods through their traditional weaving craft.
“We believe that cultural preservation is not only about cherishing past values, but also about creating opportunities for them to be sustained through more modern, accessible, and sustainable initiatives,” designer Tran Phuong Thao shared.
