Áo dài: Not Just a Dress
By Sunny, Year 10
Áo dài is the traditional Vietnamese dress. It’s a part of my identity. Each ‘dress’ is unique. With intricate patterns carefully sewn to tell stories. There’s no gender separation with the dress; men and women are all united. The dress flares downwards, both front and back, creating a modest yet free look. Whenever áo dài is mentioned to anyone who went through high school in Vietnam, they reminisce about their teenage years.
A simple white silky dress and pants symbolise the exciting innocence of youth.
Not only in school, áo dàis can also be seen in festivals in Vietnam, like during Tết, our new year celebration. Streets filled with baih chan, bánh giò, baskets of fruits; red, orange, green, and yellow. Women dressed up in their newest clothes walk the street in vibrant áo dài. The dress is forever imprinted on their mind. The memories it carries of a person’s life. Someday, someone will dust one out of the back of the closet and say: ‘Remember when … ’
Áo dài is a part of every Vietnamese identity. It is a part of my identity. The backbone of my culture.
An excerpt from Free to Fashion.
Sewing the fabric of their own identity, the students of Birrong Girls High School and Bossley Park High School took a deep dive into what it means to be Free to Fashion.
The Social Outfit, a fashion label with a difference and Story Factory, a not-for-profit creative writing organisation, ran storytelling, writing and art workshops with these creative young women. They were free to write, draw and craft their own unique ideas about what fashion means to them. These became the inspiration for a bespoke fabric collection and one-of-a kind outfit produced by The Social Outfit. The thoughtful stories the young women wrote, and images of their artworks, are collected here, alongside brief self-portraits.
The culmination of this work was proudly displayed at Carriageworks on Gadigal Land during The Social Outfit’s 10th birthday celebration.