Biti's new collection: Shoes that don't tell a story.

On October 10, 2021, Biti's, a famous Vietnamese shoe brand, introduced a new collection as part of the Biti's Hunter Street Blooming' Central project, titled "Inspired by the Pride of Central Vietnam - Flowers in the Stone." However, instead of receiving support from the community - especially young people - as with previous collections, this time Biti's received many negative responses.

On the new shoe designs in collaboration with Vietnamese artist Viet Max, Biti's uses images...flowers bloom on rocksrepresenting the people of Central Vietnam, the imageincenseThe designs feature motifs from the Kinh people, cloud patterns from the decorative language of the Nguyen dynasty, the distinctive brocade fabric in the costumes of ethnic minorities, and ancient Kinh coins from the medieval period... However, some people quickly realized that the brocade fabric pattern on a Biti's shoe model - which the company claims was designed by its own team, reflecting Vietnamese cultural identity - actually originates from cheap Chinese brocade fabric.

Specifically, La Quoc Bao - a young man born in the 1990s known for his unique shoes with Nguyen Dynasty-era patterns - shared:On the surface of the [Biti's] design is a pattern that is "creatively crafted, uses diverse materials, and requires considerable effort to produce" from China! Those familiar with Chinese culture will immediately recognize it as the "Hai Shui Jiang Yai" (海水江崖) pattern from Hangzhou, very popular for low-cost souvenirs and a best-seller on Taobao – a type of inexpensive, mass-produced brocade.

Furthermore, the "Central Highlands brocade" pattern on another Biti's shoe model also raised questions among the public, as no one could clearly identify the origin of the brocade pattern that Biti's introduced – from which of the more than 46 ethnic groups currently living in the Central Highlands.

After two days of launch and receiving numerous criticisms from social media users and the press, on the afternoon of October 13th, Biti's issued an official apology and explanation on its fanpage. Accordingly, the company admitted to choosing brocade fabric from China to express the product's concept. "Previously, Biti's Hunter tried to find domestic fabric sources, but had not yet found a supplier with suitable woven fabric," a Biti's representative shared on the fanpage.

Biti's also "acknowledges" the community's contribution, which helped the company... discover the origin of the pattern used on the "Central Highlands brocade" shoe design, which actually originates from the dog paw pattern in Cham brocade.

Besides correcting the information, Biti's also offered solutions to address the aforementioned issues: replacing the brocade fabric with one inspired by Hue's artistic culture to improve the product; supporting customers in returning products if they wish to cancel their orders; and committing to maintaining the plan of donating 100,000 VND per product sold to talent development funds in Central Vietnam. Biti's quickly regained widespread support from online public opinion, as the company demonstrated a proactive attitude, willingness to listen, and the ability to promptly resolve the "incident".

Is professionalism enough?

From "borrowing" foreign motifs to "illustrate" their own culture, to being unaware that the "Central Highlands brocade" motif originates from the dog paw pattern of the Cham people, Biti's leaves another big question unanswered. If it fails to express the cultural voice of the indigenous community whose designs it is exploiting; if it fails to convey to consumers the meaning and value of those cultural motifs – could it be that the "Proud of Central Vietnam" project doesn't truly serve its purpose, but is merely a business venture based on market trends?

The strong online reaction to Biti's (over the past two days) partly reflects the inherent harshness of the fashion industry in Vietnam. Similar to how young people once fiercely boycotted certain international fashion brands because those brands expressed views contrary to the country's culture and politics, today, Biti's seems to be facing similar backlash.almostThey faced a similar situation, with criticism coming from even the company's regular users.

From a more positive perspective, the mixed public reaction also shows that Vietnamese people in general, and young people in particular, are increasingly showing a certain level of care and respect for their national culture and history – not just focusing on flashy designs and appearances. This is also a great lesson for brands wanting to do business in the cultural sphere. They need more – a respectful attitude and deep understanding – of the culture they are "exploiting," and of the product they want to introduce to consumers. Because ultimately, what will always win over even the most discerning customers is not a pair of shoes with many cultural colors or timeless durability. What we always want to be "conquered" is a pair of shoes that truly understand.storytellingculture.

Huyen Chau, Lam Oanh