K'ho girls love the colors of brocade

“My hometown, Village 5, is where my grandparents and parents have lived for generations. The K'ho people weave fabrics, sew ui (women's wraps), and make loincloths, with patterns that resemble the shape of mountains and the sparkling waves of the Dong Nai River. The brocade fabric is imbued with indigenous culture with indigo and blue colors. Therefore, when I entered the profession, I was attached to the craft of sewing ethnic brocade,” Ka Thuan, a young K'ho girl, confided.

After finishing high school, Ka Thuan went to learn tailoring, with the desire to make beautiful clothes for everyone. “With careful instruction, I quickly learned the trade and returned to my hometown to open a tailoring shop. At first, I only sewed clothes from industrial fabrics. But I realized that the K'ho people are very passionate about traditional culture, including costumes made from brocade. So I tried my hand at making brocade costumes and was warmly welcomed by my hometown people,” the young tailor confided.

Ka Thuan said that brocade has different properties from industrial textiles. Due to the brocade weaving technique as well as the wool used as raw material, brocade has a harder, thicker and coarser grain, with traditional patterns. Therefore, when sewing into dresses and shirts, the craftsman must harmonize modern sewing techniques with traditional fabrics.

“In the past, K'ho women wore a traditional dress, and men wore simple shirts, mainly with straight hand-stitched lines. But now, people's needs have changed, and tailors must know how to sew modern products that are suitable for the changing times. Evening dresses and men's shirts all require the application of sewing techniques to create products that are both modern and preserve the local culture,” the K'ho girl shared.

“The women of the Central Highlands are imbued with the nature of the mountains and forests, not afraid of the sun or rain, with brown skin and big eyes. Each shirt and dress carries a story and a distinct style of the K'ho people. I am very proud to have contributed to bringing both modern and traditional beauty to the K'ho women of my hometown,” Ka Thuan confided.

Every year, under her scissors and hands, countless sets of clothes and brocade dresses are created, appearing in the joyful festivals of the indigenous people. In particular, she is most proud when K'ho brides wear wedding dresses made from brocade, with patterns that remind them of their grandmothers, mothers, and K'ho women of the past.

To promote, Ka Thuan uses social networks to expand the market. She films clips, takes pictures, promotes the wide brocade shirts and dresses on Facebook, TikTok, gaining a large number of followers who love brocade.

Not only does Ka Thuan tailor on-site, she also accepts remote tailoring. Customers only need to provide their measurements, and she will tailor and deliver the brocade fashion products to their hands. Everything is communicated through social networks. In addition to finding customers, social networks are also where Ka Thuan brings information about brocade to K'ho youth as well as the community. Not only in Hoa Ninh area, from Bao Loc, Bao Lam..., many people have worn brocade from the hands of this talented craftswoman.

Ka Thuan is even more confident when her startup idea "Bringing brocade to everyone" won second prize in the 7th Lam Dong province's innovative startup competition in 2024. The K'ho girl's idea was evaluated by the judges as "creative, traditional and modern, with the potential for development". Those were strong words of encouragement, helping her have more motivation on the path of maintaining and developing fashion from her hometown's brocade.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/co-gai-k-ho-me-sac-mau-tho-cam-391234.html