I met Rachael Carson, founding member of Fashion 4 Freedom (F4F) – a fashion social enterprise, on a quiet Saigon morning.

Hi Rachael!

I come from New Jersey, USA.

Hue is a very interesting place.

Rachael in a jacket and shoes made by F4F

What inspiration did Hue city bring to you?

In the work?

Hue is a place with a rich history of culture and art.

And Hue must also bring you difficult memories

Forgot, right Rachael?

I remember traveling on motorbikes with friends listening to Hue, enjoying the smallness and quietness unlike anywhere else.

Let’s talk a little about F4F.

working for a social enterprise in Vietnam?

Although my major is not related to my current job, I have always been interested in Asian culture and social development.

So how did it all start, and what did you encounter?

What’s the difficulty?

The idea of establishing F4F came from my friend, Lan Vy Nguyen, when she came to Vietnam to advise on finances for a large garment group, then I and a few other people joined.

Dragon motifs are the highlight of the shoe collection

The name Fashion 4 Freedom sounds as strong as a word

declaration, do you see that?

Yes.

Unlike other businesses that only come to craft villages to buy products, we actually invest so that artisans can develop: providing machinery, helping with consulting – training and product design.

Currently our team consists of 12 members from many different fields, in addition to a team working in Hue, the rest live in Saigon and the US.

What plans do you have for F4F in the future?

Currently, the business is just starting to turn a profit but things are growing quite positively.

I am also trying to be able to export products to the Japanese market after Tet, this is a very potential market.

Wishing Fashion 4 Freedom will achieve much success

And thank you for today’s conversation!

See other interviews in the same category Foreign Artists in Vietnam:

Artist Ando Saeko – Creativity is like a spider spinning its web

Artist Hélène Kling – Vietnamese portrait painter