Skillful hands, beautiful accessories

The patterns on each cloth of the ethnic people in the A Luoi highlands have cultural and spiritual meanings, reflecting the thoughts and feelings of the person who made them. During the weaving process, the frame and thread are fixed on the woman's legs, back, and belly. The price of each cloth ranges from several hundred thousand dong to several million dong depending on the pattern and type of beads. Looking at the patterns that were cut off after sewing the costume, Arel Thuy Linh regretfully asked to take them back.

Initially, the Pa Co teacher tried to make some hair clips and hair ties from leftover pieces of fabric. After posting on her personal Facebook, many customers asked to buy and place orders, Ms. Linh confidently made many other products. With good aesthetic sense and understanding of ethnic cultures according to family traditions, the young teacher created more diverse and rich jewelry designs from fabric.

The surplus fabric, glue gun, scissors, pliers, steel… produced thousands of hair ties, clips, and earrings with patterns from the fabric. The skillful Pa Co girl shared: “Based on the fabric pattern, I will choose which item to make. The smaller the accessory, the harder it is to make. This work requires meticulousness, perseverance, and dexterity, so my husband and I mostly do it in our quiet, free time.”

In 2019, Ms. Arel Thuy Linh made a profile and product to participate in the souvenir product contest organized by the People's Committee of A Luoi district. Although she did not win a high prize, the encouragement from many people, especially young people, gave the couple Linh - Giap more motivation to develop beauty accessories from the fabric.

On every occasion of festivals, markets, and cultural exchanges, the couple diligently sews buttons, makes silkworm buttons, pins, ties, clips, bracelets... in the house at 48 Bac Son, A Luoi town. In 2022, at the 3rd Vietnam - Laos Border Cultural, Sports and Tourism Exchange Festival in Dien Bien province, Pe Prung Giap participated as a performing artist. With the desire to promote handicraft products from his homeland, Giap brought a suitcase of pins, clips, clips... Within just a few hours, he sold out all the items along with a few new orders.

Mr. Pe Prung Giap is very happy to introduce the culture of his people to everyone. At the same time, through that, he also recognizes the aesthetic of young people towards some current handicraft products. "This is very important for us in the process of finding a direction for developing this product," Mr. Giap said.

Each fashion accessory costs only a few tens of thousands of dong depending on size and design. These products are very popular in the market, especially to meet the tastes of tourists in and outside the province. This product is not only displayed and sold at some homestays in A Luoi but also at some tourist attractions in Quang Nam . Hoang Thi and her family in Hanoi came to the A Luoi market and excitedly bought many bracelets, hair clips, and earrings as gifts. Thi said: "These gifts are imbued with A Luoi cultural identity and are very reasonably priced, convenient for transportation, and suitable for current tastes."

Meritorious artisan Ho Thi Tu, Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Information of A Luoi district, said that this is a creation of young people, contributing to the preservation of indigenous culture while diversifying traditional products from the Deng. Thereby, affirming the combination of tradition and modernity is the right direction in developing souvenirs for tourism in A Luoi.

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