UC Riverside

Vietnam’s non-majority indigenous groups, often referred to as “ethnic minorities,” have long been represented in the public space with diverse, sometimes conflicting, imaginaries of the “Other.” As the most visible markers of their cultural affiliations, their textiles have become objects of fascination and commercialization and attracted increasing attention from designers and other creatives over the past decade. Examining six Vietnamese fashion brands who engage with these materials, the study finds that the figure of ethnic minority artisans is represented as skilled cultural experts, natural environmentalists, and non-innovative producers in Vietnam’s rising discourse of creative economy. Brands’ positive portrayals of ethnic minority artisans challenge the negative stereotypes of them, while also reproducing the hegemonic regime of representation. The diverse patterns of cross-cultural interaction between artisans and designers also raise the issue of cultural appropriation, whose theoretical framework might be limiting in its application to the Vietnamese contexts.