Vietnamese brocade: Cultural color, national stature

The Vietnam - Dak Lak 2025 brocade fashion show recently held in Buon Ma Thuot City is considered a brocade fashion museum.

Dak Lak province has 49 ethnic groups living together; for each ethnic group, the most precious thing for them is probably their traditional costumes - a way to express their unique characteristics. Hundreds of colors, many colors weave the brocade fabric of the nation's soul - that is the greatest pride.

However, in the era of integration, the wave of industrialization has caused traditional values such as brocade to gradually fade away. Therefore, the program is not simply an artistic fashion show but also has a profound meaning in preserving and developing the value of brocade heritage of Vietnamese ethnic groups.

From costumes bearing the cultural imprint of ethnic minorities, designers have elevated brocade by incorporating this material into the ao dai - a symbol of Vietnamese beauty - to modern, youthful, and highly applicable designs.

A design from the "Highland Beauty" Collection by the brocade fashion brand Bigally performed at the show.

“The brocade dress is not just for wearing – it is the soul of the mountain, the call of the ancestors, the music that resonates in the middle of the great forest”, the collection “The beauty of the high mountains” by the brocade fashion brand Bigally opened the brocade fashion program, bringing to the public the epic song of the deep green forest, with the brilliant and heroic colors of 54 ethnic groups through each design. It is the pure white color like the morning dew of the Ede mountains and forests, the bright red color like the K'Ho fire, the solemn and majestic features of the Ba Na and M'nong people...

Each costume is woven from cotton and linen fibers combined with natural dyes and unique patterns on brocade fabric, bearing its own creative imprint but not separated from the existing lines and styles of cultural costumes. Not only that, each design seems to tell cultural stories, reflecting the spiritual life and beliefs of the Vietnamese ethnic communities living in all regions of the country, including many ethnic groups residing in Dak Lak province.

From the story that mother often tells, the people of the highlands often believe that the deep black color is the color of the earth, of the solid foundation that nourishes all things; the red color symbolizes the color of fire, enthusiasm, youth, luck and the white color is the symbol of light, of the truth that illuminates... Designer Viet Hung has brought to the audience the collection "Colors of the Central Highlands" which is not only pure brocade but also the distillation of color and soul combined with the art of handmade crochet to create new outfits on the basis of the old...

No longer limited to ao dai made of materials such as silk and brocade, designer Vuong Thi Huong has brought ao dai that are flexibly, harmoniously and uniquely transformed with the materials and brocade patterns of the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands. The collection "Echoes of the Great Forest", from the Hachisa Diamond fashion brand, is not only a collection of ao dai fashion but also tells the story of the journey of cultural identity and national stature through each ao dai; each design is a value that honors the land and people of Vietnam with pride. It is also an emotional visual harmony between the sacred soul of the Central Highlands and the contemporary breath in the language of brocade ao dai fashion in a lively and profound way.

The Ao Dai are flexibly transformed with ethnic brocade materials and patterns by Designer Vuong Thi Huong.

According to designer Thach Linh, from the emotional streams from the vast forest winding through the cloudy mountain slopes, along with the sound of the Khen resounding between the earth and sky and the image of women's hands diligently weaving brocade, all are carved into the fashion painting "Xung xinh deo cao". Each outfit is a messenger, conveying the heartfelt voice from the mountains and forests, wishing to connect people with their identity and roots, so that in the modern breath there still remains a bit of the old soul; a word of gratitude for traditional values and elevating the breath of the times for cultural values that never get old.

Brocade is not just fabric, it is memory, identity, national origin and a dream to spread, a desire to develop national heritage materials. Each design is a harmony of tradition and modernity, an emotional story about the revival of brocade in the flow of time; at the same time, it is a way to convey the heritage brocade material into modern life in a subtle, creative way while still maintaining traditional values.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Phuong Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province, shared that the Vietnam - Dak Lak Brocade Fashion Program 2025 was organized to honor the beauty of brocade of Vietnamese ethnic groups, including the typical brocade of Dak Lak. Moreover, the program also inspires and conveys the brocade heritage material into modern life in a subtle and creative way while still preserving traditional values. Thereby, contributing to promoting the image of culture and people of Dak Lak in particular and Vietnam in general to domestic and international friends.

Thuy Hong

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202505/tho-cam-viet-nam-sac-van-hoa-voc-dan-toc-9d31740/