Re-thinking Fashion Futures: Co- Designing Digital Tools with Vietnam’s Textile Craft Communities

This developmental paper discusses the early findings from the Vietnam Design Research Studio for Sustainable and Resilient Fashion Futures (VDRS) at RMIT University Vietnam’s School of Communication & Design, with a focus on community innovations in sustainable fashion and will reflect on successes and challenges of the initial community workshops. The VDRS project seeks to find inclusive ways to document and sustain indigenous fashion practices and knowledge across Vietnam's ethnic tribes. It aims to address the challenges faced by these minority communities in safeguarding their traditional textile practices and cultural heritage in the context of globalization and urbanization The research of the project highlights the importance of participatory methodologies and their challenges. It emphasizes the role of local communities in driving alternative sustainable fashion practices and presents the outcomes of creative collaborations. The paper aims to provide insights into the potential of participatory design and community involvement in forming future fashion ecosystems, contributing to the broader dialogue on sustainable and ethical fashion. By engaging in collaborative fieldwork, the project aims to understand the unique techniques and symbolism embedded in ethnic minority textiles. Through workshops, exhibitions, and symposiums, the project facilitates dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaborative learning between the communities and the broader fashion community, aided by strong partnerships with local museums, SME’s and non-governmental organisations, fostering a renewed appreciation for traditional practices within a modern context. The project, implemented collaboratively by researchers and practitioners of RMIT Vietnam and RMIT Melbourne, focuses on learning with local communities and centering their voices to bring about meaningful change in the fashion industry. One of the project's key outcomes is developing an open-access digital platform that serves not only as a repository for research findings, but also as collaboration and communication tool for artisans. The platform hopes to enable practitioners to collaborate, present digitised representations of textile techniques and artefacts, and promotes traditional fashion knowledge to a global audience. It will also contribute to the integration of indigenous fashion practices into RMIT's Fashion curriculum, expanding its reach and impact. The research project aims to engage and empower local communities by providing economic opportunities, capacity building, exposure and skill enhancement. By centering their voices and involving them in the decision-making processes, the project seeks to promote cultural diversity, preserve cultural heritage, and establish regenerative, land, and place-based fashion frameworks. The collaboration with stakeholders, including Adobe, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum and the Museum of Ethnology, Oxfam Vietnam, and the Center for Rural Economy Development (CRED), further strengthens the project's impact and sustainability. Through this research project, we envision a fashion industry that embraces localised and biocentric approaches, renewing fashion systems and challenging prevailing ideals. By learning with local communities, the VDRS project aims to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for the fashion industry in Vietnam.<p></p>