Milestones

Vietnam Design Week

In December 2022, The Ya Ya Sarong achieved a significant milestone by receiving the prestigious Innovative Brand Award from Vietnam Design Week.

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This esteemed fashion award is renowned for honoring excellence in various fields that enhance the human experience, including Communication Design, Living Design, Decor & Object Design, Clothing Design, and Public Design. This recognition serves as a testament to our unwavering dedication to innovation, creativity, and pushing the boundaries of fashion. We are proud to be acknowledged for our commitment to shaping the future of design in the realm of clothing and beyond.

The Ya Ya is one of the many brocade motifs that represent the Co Tu’s ethnic minority’s harvest season. In the harvest festival, the women will dance while holding their hands up, their elbows bent, to represent the buffalos’ heads and to connect with the goodwill of the gods above.

This garment is inspired by the simple shape of the Co Tu’s traditional wrap dress, traditionally a 60cm- wide hand-woven textile that is stitched together and held up by hand-knotted belts.

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The Co Tu is Vietnam’s second-largest ethnic minority group, and brocade weaving is an important part of their heritage. Using a backstrap loom, weavers maneuver their bamboo devices in harmony with their body’s movements – a historic craft that’s been passed down through generations.

Via the use of block printing, we found a way to inventively and creatively fabricate, with the complete freedom of placing a water-based ink imprint on a textile. Throughout the creative process, we rediscover the balance, rhythm, and harmony of tribal motives on a fabric.

For the Vietnam Design Week, Aldegonde Van Alsenoy (Ava)— the designer of AVANA Vietnam—teamed up with local artisans, designers and artists to realise this concept. With a clear focus on fair-trade practices, our creation strives to improve the wellbeing of the artisans, while making sure that they are always treated with mutual respect and equality.