The fashion industry in Vietnam has undergone a remarkable revival, with young Vietnamese creatives in Australia, like Jennifer Kiều Anh Doan, embracing their cultural heritage and the history of garment outwork. Doan's interest in fashion stems from her mother, Đại Nguyen, who worked in the industry out of financial necessity, sewing clothes in her living room after migrating to Australia from post-war Saigon in 1991. This experience as an 'outworker' has shaped Doan's perspective on Vietnamese fashion, viewing it as a privilege and a connection to her roots. The story of Doan and her mother is a thread in a larger narrative of underpaid Vietnamese migrants who worked invisibly in Australia's fashion industry, forming the majority of the 329,000 fashion outworkers recorded in 1995. The graphic novel 'May ở Nhà' (Working from Home) by Emma Do and Kim Lam further highlights the experiences of these Vietnamese outworkers, who were the backbone of Australia's garment industry at the time. Despite their struggles, many outworkers were ashamed of their jobs and their children were embarrassed. This is a stark contrast to the current celebration of Vietnamese fashion designers. As Vietnam's fashion industry booms, young creatives like Doan are reclaiming their history of survival labor and celebrating their ancestors' craftsmanship. Doan, who has lived between Vietnam and Australia, finds a sense of belonging and connection to her culture through fashion. She launched KIỀU Store in 2024, a boutique that showcases emerging Vietnamese designers and promotes the country's fashion industry. The store serves as a bridge between the divorced worlds of Melbourne's 'Việt Kiều' (Vietnamese people and their descendants living overseas) and a reminder of their homeland. Fashion becomes a conduit to building a community and reconnecting with Vietnamese heritage. The revival of Vietnam's fashion industry can be traced back to the economic reforms post-war, which invited trade opportunities and led to the establishment of garment factories in the late 1980s. By the early 2000s, a growing middle class fueled a shift towards homegrown fashion and design talent. Doan attributes Vietnam's global fashion acclaim to designers' bold 'fearlessness,' a trait inherited from their ancestors' wartime resilience. This fearlessness drives experimental silhouettes and boundary-pushing designs, reflecting Vietnam's ability to reinvent itself after the war. Traditional Vietnamese dress, such as the áo dài, has been reimagined with exaggerated silhouettes, side slits, and unconventional fabrics, challenging conservative views and pushing cultural boundaries. The Vietnamese fashion industry's revival and the work of KIỀU Store and similar pop-ups are challenging the perception of Asia as a fast-fashion machine, showcasing Vietnamese designers as creative innovators. Doan believes that these pop-ups make her feel connected to Vietnamese culture and that fashion is a powerful tool for ongoing cultural connections.
