The magic of pineapple fibre: Tran Hoang Phu Xuan’s sustainable dream and the ambition to lift Vietnam beyond the shadow of the ‘world’s garment factory’

With the story of pineapple fibre, FASLINK offers more than products; it upholds a belief in fashion centred on the end user. Ms Phu Xuan often poses the question: beyond aesthetics, what do Vietnamese people truly need from clothing? The answer, shaped through years of experimentation, lies in collections that care for the skin, offer breathability, and tread lightly on the planet. As consumers begin to see fashion not only as a matter of beauty but of wellbeing and mindful living, their habits inevitably begin to shift.

Read more: The Vietnamese construction industry’s sustainable urban vision (Part 1)

National pride is the powerful undercurrent that continues to drive Ms Phu Xuan and Faslink to pursue their path with strong resolve. “We believe that every shirt made from pineapple fibre is more than just a product. It is a part of history, telling the story of Vietnamese farmers in a language the world understands,” she shares. Stepping onto the global stage often brings a sharper understanding of one’s cultural identity, and therein lies a distinct advantage. Japan embraced karate and cuisine before it became an export powerhouse. Korea’s cultural wave served as a springboard. Faslink, in its own way, has followed a similar path with its Proudly Made in Vietnam programme, now in its seventh year.

This journey began with a quiet concern. For many years, Vietnamese consumers often “preferred foreign goods”, perhaps because they had yet to appreciate the historical and cultural richness of their own country. To shift this mindset, the next generation must be taught the value of national pride through stories like Emperor Quang Trung’s legendary lightning march, which prove that determination and love for one’s country can yield extraordinary outcomes.

Proudly Made in Vietnam is not merely a slogan. It is an active, deliberate strategy. Faslink relocated its entire supply chain to Vietnam, despite early setbacks in cost and technological capacity. The turning point arrived as Vietnam signed new trade agreements and took decisive steps to harness these opportunities. Most notably, the company succeeded in building a sustainable domestic production base less reliant on imported materials and more resilient in the face of global change.

Beyond pineapple fibre, Faslink continues to explore other promising projects under the same banner. Among them is collagen-infused fabric, a product that Ms Phu Xuan holds in high regard, even if it has yet to reach commercial expectations. Faslink is also diversifying with special fibres: lotus fibre for undergarments, sleepwear and premium t-shirts; infrared fibre that promotes blood circulation and is ideal for office wear; and coffee fibre blended with cotton to form an innovative new material. These developments reflect years of research aimed at enhancing both the wearing experience and the skin’s wellbeing.

At the heart of it all lies a belief in starting from the source. “To improve and transform a product, one must begin at the root, and that root is fibre,” Ms Phu Xuan explains. People wear clothes not merely to look good, but first and foremost to protect their health. Fashion should never just be about concealing the body for the sake of decorum. The essence of clothing, she insists, is to support human wellbeing. That is precisely why her work focuses on developing fibres, the true foundation of every garment.

Faslink’s mission extends beyond greening the textile industry. For Ms Phu Xuan, the greater aim is to support a shift in mindset that reshapes not only how consumers engage with fashion, but also how businesses and future professionals think. At Faslink, corporate social responsibility is not seen as a duty but as a strategic investment, particularly when it comes to education.

The belief is simple yet powerful: in just five years, a new generation of students equipped with contemporary knowledge and bold thinking could completely reimagine Vietnam’s fashion landscape. While the traditional theoretical base of textile education holds value, current tools and teaching methods have fallen behind global benchmarks. Faslink is stepping in with a hands-on approach bringing real-world experience into the classroom through factory visits, deep-dive seminars on sustainable materials like pineapple and hemp fibre, and training in digital design technologies.

Bridging industry and academia remains essential. Through collaborations, businesses and schools can update curricula, co-develop research in circular fashion, and ensure students have a multi-disciplinary foundation that spans material science, sustainable design and circular economy principles.

In her closing reflections, Ms Phu Xuan spoke not of business triumphs or financial milestones, but with heartfelt sincerity about the people walking this journey with her, the individuals writing Faslink’s ongoing story. Her tone brightened as she spoke of her guiding belief that “each position has its own value” whether it’s a seasoned expert or someone quietly fulfilling the smallest of tasks.

“We believe that every individual holds a dormant talent, waiting to be awakened. The role of a business is to create an environment where those buttons are switched on,” she shared, unveiling this year’s campaign: Be an Expert. A philosophy as simple as it is resonant—that one’s worth lies in their singular ability, a professional value that follows them across all chapters of life.

Perhaps Faslink’s most enduring legacy will be its quiet role as an incubator of talent. A place where pressure, rather than stifling growth, becomes fuel. As she reflected at the close of our conversation, “The pain of being ‘torn apart’ is also the pain of being reborn.” And when individuals shine, the business, too, glows: sustainably and meaningfully.

Business, at its core, is a sociological endeavour. When fashion transcends mere product to become a symbol of cultural prosperity and national identity, the industry begins to reach its true potential. That vision, bold yet deeply grounded, is already taking shape and carried forward by leaders like Ms Phu Xuan of Faslink.

This article was adapted from the original feature in Tatler – Nha Tap Tinh Hoa Vol. 7

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