“Great design is not only about making our lives prettier or simpler; great design can

solve problems of injustice, create peace, and promote economic equality.”

A STORY OF US
Fashion4Freedom is an ecosystem of Designers, Artisans, Academics,
Philanthropists and Business Leaders contributing their expertise to
disrupt and transform the supply chain.

With the tools of capitalism and design-thinking processes we are

redefining luxury to include heritage artisans currently excluded from the
world market.
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 About 10 years ago, I left corporate finance to join an investment group intended to
build garment factories in Vietnam. While working on our first factory investment, I
was shocked to discover the human toll and environmental conditions created in some
areas of the garment supply chain. As more foreign investors came to build factories in
Vietnam’s major cities, millions of skilled traditional makers migrated to these jobs
from rural villages—some became heavily indebted for the chance at better income in

F4F city factories like the one our investment group was building. The problem for Vietnam
was that the population change impacted the culture of craft. Artisan villages were
losing their young working population to factories. The irony was that many did not
CONCISE want to leave their families, but the economic opportunities were no longer available
HISTORY in rural areas. Feeling the need to do more for migrant factory workers in our region, I
(the culture angle)
started the Fashion4Freedom Scholarship to assist factory workers with educational
opportunity, but many wanted an opportunity to return to their villages and families. I
started to explore how my business skills and industry knowledge can create economic
NOTE opportunities for traditional makers so that they can choose between staying with their
Realistically,
there is a families and continue with their crafts or migrate to factories.
confluence
of reasons In 2010, we formalized that idea in Hue, Fashion4Freedom combines AID+TRADE as a
for starting
F4F. This model to leverage philanthropic funds to help marginalized producers into scalable
seems most entrepreneurs. In the past 6 years, the team has funded equipment for 74 artisan
politically
neutral groups helping rural producers improve quality and design. Our mission is to preserve
heritage craft by using the tools of design and exploiting the tools of capitalism to help
artisans access new markets.

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 Type of Organization
Social Enterprise +
Local Non-Profit
F4F Our business is fashion, our mission
is social.
BASIC PROFILE We address the fundamental issues
that make artisans economically
vulnerable and strengthen their
ability to access new markets. Our
goal is to bridge the gap between
artisanal producers and the fashion
industry’s global supply chain to
ensure social responsibility in
manufacturing while preserving
traditional skills
Our Model
AID+TRADE
What we want to achieve:
1) Create an alternative supply chain
• Establish a production model
that include cottage industries &
traditional makers
• Includes and preserves craft
heritage
• Create access to ethical,
transparent, and socially
meaningful productions to small
brands
2) Redefine Philanthropic Funding
“Enabling the skill fisherman with a
better rod 7 helping find a marketplace
to sell his catch”
3) Create a bridge to help businesses
affect change as a tenet of their
operation rather than a fringe of CSR
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 Type of Organization

Social Enterprise +
Local Non-Profit

Purpose of a Local NGO-- Purpose of the Social Enterprise—

Our Vietnamese NGO provides

F4F 0% equipment loans to artisans

and other rural enterprises.
Under Vietnam communist
BASIC PROFILE
financial regulation, any
Why a Combined organization that wishes to
Organization ? donate assets or provide loans
must be properly registered as an
NGO (should that organization
wishes to legally operate a
permanent program).
Our
Model
AID +
TRADE
On the other hand, we wanted a
self-sustaining organization that
can legally trade and commercially
do business on behalf of our
artisans, an NGO could not do so
but a social enterprise like
FASHION4FREEDOM could.
The NGO has the responsibility of
incubating artisans with 0%
equipment loans and other tools of
development while F4F works at
developing artisans in
entrepreneurs by focusing on
design, quality, and new market
opportunities for sales.
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 F4F
AID + TRADE
Our Model of Operation

Our Model combines

philanthropy with business
to disrupt the supply chain
by:
1. Building capacity for
small producers to
participate &
compete,
2. Addressing
environmental &
community impact as
part of manufacturing
concerns
3. Employ design
process that
incorporates
sustainable
approaches allowing
the whole process to
interlink from concept
to finished goods
4. Mediating both the
buyers & producers to
address both business
and community needs

Our philanthropic side incubates artisan villages with equipment to improve productivity, our design team assists with
product development and trends, while our business team keeps focus on market acceleration. 5
 The Philanthropic Side (AID) of our
Ecosystem
Cultural Preservation & Economic
Development Center (CPED)
acts as the incubator
F4F
Purpose of a Local NGO--
Our Vietnamese NGO provides
0% equipment loans to artisans
ROLE OF OUR LOCAL and other rural enterprises.
NGO Under Vietnam communist
Why a Combined financial regulation, any
Organization ?
organization that wishes to
donate assets or provide loans
must be properly registered as an
NGO (should that organization
wishes to legally operate a
permanent program).
QUICK STATS--
• # of SMEs funded = 71
• # of lives impacted = 41,000
• Value of 0% Loans = $0.7M USD
• Value of Development = $0.4M USD
Why Exist--
Artisans in Vietnam simply lack fundamental
and technology acumen to access outside
markets. This weakness barred artisan
villages from accessing financial assistance &
working capital. On the other hand, while
there are plenty of NGOs that help poor
people in Vietnam, there are very few, if any,
that were helping artisans with financial
assistance for their businesses.
Our center provides capital to assist artisans
capture sales and growth opportunities while
F4F provides the appropriate infrastructure
to connect markets for artisans.
Main Functions of the Center
1.Issue 0% Equipment Loans
2.Provide Technical & Business Training
3.Assist in Product Development & Quality
Standards
4.Manage the Pay-It-Forward Program
where those who receive 0% loans repay
by donating time to teach others their
skills & donate products to poorer
communities
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 PAY-IT-FORWARD PROGRAM

F4F
ROLE OF OUR
LOCAL NGO

The NGO
manages the
Pay-It-Forward # years
Program where average
those who recipient
receive 0% loans takes to
repay through by Average Loan is about “re-pay”
Over 41,000
way of social $7000 and as high as =
people benefited
goods $21,000 usd 3
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 The TRADE side
of our Eco-system

Cultural Preservation & Economic Why Exist—

Development Center (CPED) Fashion4Freedom is responsible for all trade
acts as the incubator and market interface solutions to help
artisans find new buyers.

F4F Purpose of the Social Enterprise—

Be the Market Interface for the

ROLE OF SOCIAL
ENTERPRISE Ecosystem. Fashion4Freedom is
both a design incubator and a
business platform focused on
Why a Combined
Organization ? opening markets that honor the
tradition of hand-made products.
Our Goal is to create a supply chain
that’s transparent and free of
exploitation . We serve both the
buyers that wish for better options
and workers that deserve an option
for economic equality.
Main Functions
1. Represent the ecosystem to bring in
funding
2. All things related to sales generation
3. Helps clients develop their own
ethically & socially mindful brands &
production processes
4. Demonstrate the viable of an
alternative Supply Chain
5. Make entrepreneurs out of artisans
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 TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT OF
AID + TRADE
0% Equipment Loans
Working Capital Fund Investment in Design
Business Training Product Development
Pay-It-Forward Charity Market Connection
Program

INVESTMENT FOR VILLAGE ENTERPRISES

$700K USD of new equipment
including 7 delivery/transit
trucks and 8 farming
equipment
$300K USD of product
development & working capital
In House Design Team
Pro-Bono Tech Team
Industry expert/leaders
Volunteerism
$325K USD for Marketing &
Traded Related cost to advance
exposure of makers in the region

RESULTS

- 71 village enterprises
funded in 7 different sectors
- 41K people served
- Increase margin
- Better quality & quality
consistency
- Increase market confidence
12 Business Training Seminars
Monthly Bookkeeping
Consultation
Free Tech Assistance
Successful transactions with
domestic buyers outside of
local region & artisan-friendly
international brands,
Ready to serve bigger markets

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INPUTS
Capital
investments,
working capital ,
tech help, business
acumens
BENEFICIARY
Village Enterprises
AID
$700K USD of new equipment
including 7 delivery/transit trucks
and 8 farming equipment
- 71 village enterprises funded
in 7 different sectors
- 41K people served
TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT OF AID + TRADE
INPUTS INPUTS
Manufacturing Product
efficiency, Development
Quality INPUTS
and
Standards, Marketing
Processes for Increased Sales,
Q/A Improved
Margin, More
Give Backs
Production Processes Small labels ,start-ups,
emerging designers
TRADE
REINVESTMENT INTO COMMUNITIES
INVESTMENT FOR VILLAGE ENTERPRISES
$300K USD of product Pro-Bono Tech Team $325K USD for Marketing & Traded
development & working capitals Related cost to advance exposure
Industry expert/leaders
Volunteerism of makers in the region
In house design team
RESULTS
- Increase margin Successful transactions with domestic
12 Business Training Seminars buyers outside of local region &
- Better quality & quality Monthly Bookkeeping artisan-friendly international brands
consistency Consultation
Ready to serve bigger markets
- Increase market confidence Free Tech Assistance
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REINCARNATED SOLES OF A PAGODA CARVING
VILLAGE
When artisan Tong applied
for the Design Capital’s 0%
THRIIVE Equipment Loan,
his village was experiencing
a market crisis and a
production competitive
problem. Tong and his
group of artisans needed
big equipment to efficiently
prep wood for carving. At
the average annual income
of about $5000 USD, it was
impossible to secure a
proper loan for capital
improvement. An attempt
to increase productivity
would have been
implausible. Even worse is
the prospect of a declining
market for the villagers’
hand-carved pagodas, so
we redesigned his product
line 11
REINCARNATED SOLES OF A PAGODA CARVING
VILLAGE
Not more than 30 years ago and for hundreds of years before that, afternoons were met
with musical clickety clacks of wooden slippers worn by traditional grannies and well-
groomed high-school girls. Today, one would have to search long and hard to come across
the traditional guoc. Hidden within windy dirt roads named for favored concubines
throughout history, a village of pagoda carvers struggle to keep itself relevant competing
against contemporary laser-cuts and pre-fab works. Follow us to witness a reincarnation of
lost soles by master carpenter Ngo Thanh whose skills in decorative carving translate
beautifully to capture intricate details of these hand-carved wooden shoes.

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LOVE LETTER WRITTEN IN TEXTILE “The Ta O tribe speaks a hybrid of Laotian
Vietnamese, a language little known outside
the insular A Shau Valley. The most basic
instrument of supremacy is written language;
for the Ta O, their experiences are transcribed
only in textile.
A Ta O weaver, will read when a fabric has
been woven. White beads on a black ground
are strung in symbols that play out in concert
with the seasons. Constellations, flowers in
bloom, and migratory birds, those of “great
longevity” are recorded.” 13
The Ta Oi is one of 54 tribes that exist in Vietnam; they speak a hybrid indigenous dialect, influenced by their
Laotian - Vietnamese roots. Like the 27 other tribes without a written language, the Ta Oi tribes of
aLuoi transcribed their experiences only in textiles and wood carvings. An aLuoi weaver, will read when a
fabric has been woven. White beads on a black ground are strung in symbols that play out in concert with
the seasons. Constellations, flowers in bloom, and migratory birds, those of "great longevity," are
recorded. The symbolism has been passed through hundreds of years . While men farm, women weave the
almanac. A weaver stretches the thread in a hand - picked loom. Simple bamboo dowels are manipulated
through tension applied with the thrust of a weaver's legs. The dowels are brought closer together for the
application of beads, which are strung by hand, directly onto the threads, then embedded in a woven
surround. The last symbol depicted in the beaded portion of every aLuoi textile matches the wood carving
outside a weaver's home , often found positioned skyward, crowning a pitched roof . It is a signature, which
much like taking a married name, will change over the course of a woman's lifetime, as she moves, from her
father's home, to her husband's. That the fabric consummates with, "the symbol of the man who possesses
her" has become a uniquely empowering love story. Residing, in a valley where most of the agricultural
products have been poisoned by the scourge of war, men can feed their families but have little desirable
produce to sell. It is only the women, who "read," record history, and create marketable goods to trade. 14
POLISHING COLORS

Vietnamese lacquerware and traditional lacquer painting is like no other in the world in that it
requires a reductive process. The artist first paint at least 8 and up to 12 different layers of
colors to a subject. After natural resin set in, the piece is polished down to reveal a variegated
color impression---what was layered is now blended. The masters believed that art is an
expression of human emotions, what's revealed on the surface can be flat and disconnected
from true feelings hidden below and one must polish over and over to reveal the nuances of
tones and hues within. Done right, this type of art and craft can take up to over 100
days. Done right, the lacquered piece can be hidden, buried, and neglected without much
damage. Is it any wonder that an ancient poem describes the right and proper wife should be
no less hardy than a good Son Mai (lacquer) painting. 15
 TECH 4 ARTISANS
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
How Can We Take Advantage of Social Media to
prepare ourselves for marketing in the Metaverse?
&
how can we help artisans succeed at making
connections in the Metaverse?

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 General Concept:
This project specifically addresses
online sales and ways to market
and bring attention to Central
Vietnam. We believe that those
interested in handmade products
are the same type of customers
who love to explore different and
new places; and we view this as
Target Audience:
The target audience is anyone interested in handmade
artisanal products and traditional. Future functions will
allow buyers to connect with our traveling partners in
order to book tours and travel accomodation should
buyers wish to visit and connect with artisans personally
project

F4F
CRAFTED
an opportunity to invite such
buyers to travel and experience
the world of traditional crafts in
Procurement Site with option for tour booking.

What impact will the proposed activities create?

SOCIETE Central Vietnam. Films made
the Tech from “The Future is HandMade” • New Markets reach for artisans & Increased Revenue
Project already intrigued high-end travel • Recognition & Connection for those places which the
agencies to request for future public might not know existed
“Crafted Experience” tours. Our • Decrease migration of artisans from this region.
online platform crosses between
ETSY and AirB&B to connect
buyers with artisan communities;
the value-added is media-rich
layer of story-telling to help
evangelize the passion behind
handmade. Social Enterprise +
Local Non-Profit to make 0%
equipment loans and investment
in order to help artisan villages
regrow 17
 In the 80s and up to the late 90s, this area of Vietnam was under a
Objective: devastating economic crisis forcing families to make extreme decisions to
Build Vietnam’s first send their adolescent daughters to work as barmaids in Cambodia and
online platform that Thailand inevitably ending up in human trade and trafficking. Without a
allows for market, wood carvers and tradesmen abandoned their craft and fields to
consumers and illegally log ancient trees along the border of Laos (a product still in
buyers to purchase demand by the Chinese wealthy).
directly from artisan
villages. Should they
One thousand years of history is being lost to western consumerism. Just
15 years ago, there were more 3000 traditional craft villages; today, about
wish, buyers can
30% are struggling to survive. Lack of appropriate infrastructure and

F4F
connect, exchange
knowledge leave artisanal producers increasingly disconnected from
ideas, and ultimately thriving markets. In order to quell the lost of our artisans, we have to
visit artisans once address the economic reasons artisans abandon their tradition.
CRAFTED we add tour-booking
SOCIETE app to the system. Expected Relevance
the Tech As it stands, most
Project buyers practically 1/ Revitalization of artisan villages through smart use of technology: Artisan
believe it only villages need assistance in adapting to consumer demands and global trends.
possible to buy By showcasing the products and skills available through our online platform,
products out of a coupled with assistance from in design and marketing from Fashion4Freedom,
factory in China. We the artisan villages will have another chance to revive their crafts and
believe that once compete in the market
buyers build a
relationship and 2/ Environmental Protection: Artisans are cultural stewards often found in
understanding with remote areas of the world. In agrarian economies like that of Hue artisans
those who make are, themselves, farmers who work on their craft while waiting for crops to
their products, the harvest. Income generated from craft economy helps to mitigate risks of a
supply chain will poor harvest and support daily living expenses. By providing an extra method
shift and make room to generate more income, we are providing a means to sustain their lives as
for traditional farmer-artisans. In this way, they are better equipped to protect the land and
makers. continue as stewards of their craft heritage.
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