Recently, on famous fashion runways and in Vietnamese tourism promotional programs, handbags, conical hats, or other unique accessories for women have occasionally appeared.
Hue farmers harvest sedge grass to make handicrafts - Photo: NGOC THUAN
Very few people know that these luxurious, million-dollar items are made from wild sedge grass.
Ho Suong Lan, a woman from Hue, has embarked on a miraculous journey to elevate the lagoon plant species to a new level. Shedding the mud from the swamps, each strand of sedge grass is meticulously crafted, woven, and transformed into vibrant, elegant forms used in million-dollar handbags, conical hats, and fashion accessories.
From wild plants growing along the edges of fields.
Ms. Ho Suong Lan (42 years old) is not from the acidic swampy area of Phong Dien ( Thua Thien Hue province ), but she has a deep understanding of the farmers there. Phong Binh commune (Phong Dien district) has the famous Pho Trach mat weaving village. Seeing weeds growing and overwhelming the rice crops, instead of pulling them out, the villagers would dry them and then weave them into bags, mats, and cushions...
But the fate of this weed was confined to the village, to the poor rural markets. In 2020, a woman came to visit the villagers to inquire about it. No one thought that this woman would change the fate of the sedge grass.
Ms. Lan said she started her career as a tour guide and owned a small travel company, but everything came to a standstill when COVID-19 hit. During a trip to Indonesia, when people saw her wearing a traditional Hue conical hat, many were curious and complimented her on how beautiful it looked.
The story of the conical hat traveling to Indonesia, along with the fading image of the traditional craft village of Pho Trach, prompted Ms. Lan to return to meet the farmers, listen to their age-old struggles in bringing the woven sedge mats out of the local market. And she began to act...
The sedge grass "transforms the fate of impoverished rural areas".
Sedge grass is transformed into beautiful products - Photo: BD
In her gallery and workshop on Chu Van An Street (Hue City), Ms. Lan and her team, including designers, artists, packers, printers, seamstresses, and even a livestreaming team, work continuously to meet orders.
Fifty kilometers away, dozens of farmers in Ms. Lan's team in Phong Dien are also diligently cutting sedge grass and tending to their rice paddies. In front of their houses, they gather to dry and weave rough mats to send to the factory. Everything operates like a well-coordinated machine, perfectly connecting each stage.
Ms. Lan stated that since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer thinking has shifted significantly. Consumers tend to prioritize environmentally friendly products and those of natural origin. In particular, the production chain must demonstrate its support for vulnerable communities.
Initially, when she thought about making items from sedge grass, Ms. Lan went to Pho Trach to buy raw materials from farmers and then repurposed them. In the first month, she only sold 15 million VND worth of orders. Although small, this was a positive sign from the market.
Ms. Lan saw her opportunity to embark on a new journey and invited artists, designers, and media professionals to join her in transforming the sedge grass into a new medium. The following month, total sales of the merchandise soared to 300 million VND.
In just a short year since first encountering sedge grass, a production chain, originating from farmers in Phong Dien and ending with discerning, fashion-conscious customers, was formed. Ho Suong Lan rented a house in the center of Hue to use as a workshop, and young artists and designers from the Hue School of Art were invited to collaborate.
The raw materials are continuously grown and cared for by more than 20 farming households in Phong Dien according to a process ordered by Ms. Lan, then transported to the workshop. The sedge grass fibers from the muddy swamps take on vibrant forms in handbags designed and decorated with Hue cultural motifs. When displayed on shelves or carried by models and customers, the sedge grass products are even as beautiful as designer items worth thousands of dollars.
"I confidently sell these products for at least 300,000 to 2 million VND. We export more than 1,500 products of various types every month. We show our customers that the products we make are not only good and durable but also contain a wonderful cultural story. In that journey, the creative hands of the farmers of Pho Trach mat weaving village are the focal point, the soul," Ms. Lan said.
Bringing the image of Vietnamese culture and farmers to the world.
Ms. Ho Suong Lan with her fashion products made from sedge grass - Photo: BD
After only a few years of work, Ms. Lan has a smoothly running process for crafting fashion products from sedge grass, generating tens of billions of dong in revenue annually. Besides the network of farmers in the craft village, there is also a large team of designers, artists, and craftsmen. The products reach discerning domestic customers and are sold to many countries around the world, particularly targeting international travelers.
She said that tourists were not only surprised by the "designer bags from Vietnamese villages," but also particularly loved the embroidered and painted motifs on the products. These included images of dragons commonly seen in Hue's decorative motifs, Vietnamese women, the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, and lotus flowers...
"We should be proud of Vietnamese culture. Farmers in traditional craft villages also possess skillful hands that the whole world recognizes. The disadvantage is that they don't yet know how to develop their talents to reap the true value. I am one of the fortunate ones who have witnessed this."
"We work alongside farmers to ensure that the value of the sedge grass brings the best and most meaningful life to the people. I hope this story will be an inspiration for other craft villages in Vietnam," Ms. Ho Suong Lan shared.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-bang-hoa-than-ruc-ro-20250215095610405.htm
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