Among the RMIT-commissioned works is a traditional áo dài and trousers made from Lãnh Mỹ A, a rare and highly prized black silk textile woven and dyed in Tân Châu silk village in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Commissioned and lent by RMIT University Vietnam, the garment showcases what is often described as the "silk queen of Vietnam" – a one-of-a-kind fabric produced through an extremely complex weaving and fruit-based dyeing process found nowhere else.
The knowledge behind Lãnh Mỹ A silk is held by only a small number of makers, many of them ageing, and has not yet been successfully passed to younger generations. Bringing the textile to an international stage is both a celebration of the craft and an act of preservation of intangible cultural heritage.
"It is an extraordinary plant-based material practice, and also a very fragile one," said Professor Donna Cleveland, Dean of the School of Communication & Design at RMIT Vietnam and research advisor on the exhibition.
"This project connects closely to my broader research into sustainable material futures, craft knowledge, participatory design and regenerative textile systems. Through the Vietnam Design Research Studio, RMIT Vietnam is working to document and support traditional and place-based cultural practices not as static heritage, but as living knowledge systems that can inform more ethical, ecological and community-centred approaches to design."
Professor Cleveland said the project also aligned with RMIT Vietnam's Country Commitment, particularly its focus on community-centred research, social innovation, regional collaboration and strengthening Vietnam-Australia cultural and research ties.
"By documenting this rare plant-based textile practice and its presentation through NGV in Victoria, the project brings Vietnamese material knowledge into an international design conversation about sustainability, cultural resilience and shared ecological futures."
Plant Life follows NGV/RMIT's debut exhibition, Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday, whichfeatured more than 50 projects exploring how designers are transforming the products and systems that shape daily life into solutions that better consider people and planet.
Plant Life: The Nature of Design,The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia | 28 August 2026 – 7 February 2027 | FREE
