FOR ALL THAI SILK Men + Women Home + Style Hotel + Museum Decoration APEC 2022 THAILAND OPEN CONNECT BALANCE OFFICE OF THE PERMANENT SECRETARY THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
2 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 3 Preface by His Excellency General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret.) Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother of Thailand has always been devoted to the royal duty of visiting the Thai people in all regions of the country to learn about their welfare and ways of life. In doing so, Her Majesty the Queen Mother travelled extensively throughout Thailand and has observed and experienced a rich diversity of Thai customs, traditions, and cultures. On many occasions during the royal visits, Her Majesty the Queen Mother noticed and admired the Thai tradition of locals wearing local fabrics and textiles, such as silk and cottons with intricate patterns and colours, consequently inspiring a royal initiative to sponsor and promote the conservation and development of Thai textiles and weaving in local communities. For many generations of Thai people, therefore, this generous and continuous support by Her Majesty the Queen Mother has been invaluable to the sustainable development of local communities, especially in remote areas, who have been able to use readily available materials, traditional skills, and local wisdom to create unique and high-quality Thai handicrafts. Over many years, this vocation has served as a stable source of income and well-being for countless families across the country, especially as traditional Thai textiles have been recognised worldwide for its beauty, environmental sustainability, and quality. Moreover, it has made the traditional Thai textile industry commercially viable and a highlight of Thailand’s creative economy. To pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s initiative and lauded role as the benefactor of the traditional Thai textile industry and to commemorate the 90th Birthday Anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen Mother in 2022, the Royal Thai Government has thereby established every 12th of August to be celebrated as National Textiles Day. On this occasion, the Royal Thai Government has also launched a digital directory of Thailand’s finest silk and textiles manufacturers, which will support and promote the further expansion and development of Thailand’s traditional textiles industry as well as Thailand’s growing digital economy. General (Ret.) (Prayut Chan-o-cha) Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand
4 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 5 CONTENTS • POWER OF THREAD 6 • WOMEN 24 • MEN 74 • AESTHETICS OF SILK 90 • SILK AS HOME DECORATIONS 95 • SILK AS HOTEL DECORATIONS 104 • LOCAL MUSEUM 150 AND SILK PRESERVATION • SUSTAINABILITY OF THAI SILK 174 • LIST OF SILK MANUFACTURERS 188 AND TRADERS • SOURCE DIRECTORY 190
6 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 7 POWER OF THREAD Silk is part of Thai culture that not only serves as cloth or social indicator but can also represent Thai lifestyle, belief, and power of creation. In the past, silk signified the wearer’s identity through its refinement, splendor, and delicacy, indicating the wearer’s rank and economic status.Therefore, in various aspects, silk plays an important role in Thai culture and society. In the past, silk was sometimes also a symbol of femininity as it demonstrated the art of living and the ability of women through her weaving, which can be used as cloth or present. As some textiles consume years to make, it embodies the love, power, and faith that are meant to be passed on to the recipient or wearer. For the textiles woven for the royal court, it requires a skilled and experienced royal weaver to explicitly express the taste and style of the wearer.
8 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 9 Silk’s special properties are unique as it is a strong and durable quality fiber with flexibility and elasticity, which make them hardly stretch or shrink and resistant to creases, wrinkles, or tear. With these exceptional properties, silk has become the preferred textile in tropical countries as it is comfortable, absorbs moisture, dries quickly, and resists dirt and odor. Moreover, silk can be adapted into various styles by dyeing or printing on them. As it has fiber structures that can be modified into either a firm with high durability textile or a delicate, breathable, lightweight textile, silk is not merely used as cloth but can also be adapted for several purposes such as decorations or ornaments that help enhance the luxurious vibe of the area.
10 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 11 Story of Silk’s Origin Through its Patterns The pattern or design of silk can signify the textile’s origin. Silk from each area has its own distinct characteristic and identity that reflect the locals’ way of life, lifestyle, and folk wisdom, as most patterns used in textiles were usually inspired by their surroundings. For example, the Soi Dok Mhak Pattern of Maha Sarakham, traditional small detailed betel nut flower patterns in bright colors on Mat Mii using the double-tied technique, became Maha Sarakham’s provincial identity pattern or Khon Kaen province’s Pla Siw pattern in striking bright colors on Mat Mii, inspired from the minnow fish of the Mekhong River and Bueng Kan province’s Nok Cheong Tien pattern that was inspired by the belief and faith about Naga, the protector of Mekhong river, was also used in most textile of the region.
12 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 13 Silk in Modern Form Nowadays, the perception of silk has been reimaged. Silk has not only been used to make luxurious cloth or garments for special occasions but was developed to be able to use in a variety of occasions and have various durability, so it became one of the textiles that can be used in daily life and every event. Although the pattern or design is simplified or transformed into a plainer one, the unique identity of silk has appropriately remained.
14 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 15 The knowledge and comprehension of silk development are also applied to silk meant to be used as decorations and part of an artwork, which requires different qualities and features for each work. For the design industry, young fashion designers and lifestyle influencers are now interested in using silk and modifying it into fashionable contemporary cloth, including making other products that can fulfill their lifestyle, such as pillowcases, furniture covers, table cloth, etc.
16 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 17 Journey of Silk, the Heart of Thai Folk Wisdom In the textile industry, silk development never stops. Silk can be combined with other materials to create a textile with high durability and is suitable for different usages. Many of them become as strong as synthetic textiles. One of the distinct examples is the adaptation of silk to silk denim by the Ban Kra Tom group in Surin province under the brand “Reun Mai Bai Mhon” which is supported by the Thailand Textile Institute. After more than 4-5 years of research, the group used the rough, most-outer layer of silk, called Sen Mai Noi, to weave and dyed them with indigo to make the fabric look like denim. This innovation breaks all the perceptions of silk as it is strong, tough, and not wafting. These properties will help expand the usage and market of silk as it can now be used to make various kinds of products, such as furniture covers or home decorations.
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20 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 21 Another fantastic innovation is the adaptation of silk structure into a spandex-like fabric. With this innovation, even pure silk can now be improved to serve the contemporary and broader range of markets. The silk structure was developed by the Cool Mode Thai Silk project, the cooperation project between the Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture and the College of Creative Industry, Srinakharinwirot University. They used the knitting method instead of the weaving method to create the fabric, including mixing other kinds of fiber into silk to make it more preferable in the textile industry. This new textile can be used to make beachwear, activewear, and evening dress and can be screened and dyed to make diverse patterns and designs.
22 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 23 With these innovations and development, along with the inheritance of folk wisdom, silk and its tradition will always prevail in Thai society. It is not exaggerated to mention silk as the “aesthetics of life” as silk can reflect the beauty of living and a simple yet elegant lifestyle, from the beginning of silkworm cultivation, silk thread processing, and dyeing of silk before the weaving by a master weaver. However, parts of these processes are now replaced by mechanisms, which resulted in the devaluation of the value of master weavers. Nonetheless, suppose we all are aware and cherish the potential and importance of those master weavers, including inheriting and passing on folk wisdom in a contemporary way to encourage the young generation to value and preserve them. In that case, these long-inherited knowledge and wisdom will never fade from Thai society.
24 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 25 WOMEN Silk has long been a popular textile for women’s clothing. The creativity in designing keeps clothes, accessories, decorations, and handbags always fashionable and makes the industry grow constantly. It meets the variety of needs of people in the contemporary world and easily blends in to their lifestyle. With the advantages of silk that has a silky or shiny texture, it can be woven into various kinds of textiles in many forms, whether thin, lightweight silk or strong, firm silk. As a result, silk is used to make different garments appropriate for any look and style. Plus, as it is comfortable due to its ability to absorb moisture, dries quickly, resists dirt and odor, and has flexibility, including the fact that it can be dyed into colorful textiles, designing silk for women’s cloth is relatively limitless. As mentioned that silk has a silky texture with diverse characteristics, whether lightweight, flexible textile or firm, shaped textile, its diversity granted opportunities for designers to creatively design their clothes and accessories with a wide range of imaginations and fantastic ideas to turn the perception of silk from a textile suitable for extraordinary occasion to daily textile. This increased the popularity of silk among women of all ages in societies.
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28 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 29 Innovation of Silk : Enhancing the Creativity To trace back to the tradition of making cloth with silk, one of the common types that cannot be ignored is a traditional silk skirt with a Chok border (Pha Sin Mhai Toh Teen Chok). The women’s skirt body can be varied. It can be made of Mat Mii, Khit, Hangkrarok silk, and silk with unique provincial identity patterns to express the relations and fondness towards their own root. Moreover, these clothes also being regarded as historical and cultural records of each locality.
30 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 31 Innovations and developments have never stopped through time. From domestic hand-woven silk, silk production was industrialized through time to serve the increasing demand in trade and commerce, along with the integration of wisdom and academic knowledge to improve the quality and appearance of silk, making it become one of the most exported products of Thailand.
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34 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 35 With these innovations, the textile can be diversly designed and transformed. For example, patterns can be designated spontaneously throughout the fabric, or contemporary graphical patterns can be integrated to create the brand’s characteristics. By adding new textures to the material, an opportunity for silk to be used in various occasions and styles other than luxurious has been granted, which represents the brand’s identity through boundless designs.
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38 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 39 Silk Structures and their Wide Range of Use One of silk’s most distinctive properties is its ability to integrate with other fibers. Silk textiles can be briefly divided into two types: pure silk and Juree silk, a mixture of 20% silk and other fibers that suit and meet the requirement of alternatives to pure silk.
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44 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 45 Light and loose structure silk is commonly used to make scarves, shawls, headscarves, and handkerchiefs, including other types of cloth that meant to enhance the beauty of a woman’s body as it is flexible and floaty. Medium-structure silk is commonly used to make a garment or outfit as it can be dyed and decorated and has moderate flexibility, so the shape of the cloth is maintained while it is still comfortable to wear.
46 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 47 Firm structure silk is a dense, strong, and thick textile that is suitable for other purposes mentioned. For example, medium-thick silk is commonly used for winter outfits or garments to wear in cold places as it can prevent the cold but is still breathable. It can also be used to make formal women’s attire as it can maintain the shape quite well and not easily creased, so the cloth retains its grace and elegance.
48 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 49 In the fashion industry, thick silk and coarse silk are particularly suitable for accessories, handbags, and parts of jewelry or ornaments. With its durability, while still retaining the exquisite silky texture, thick silk is commonly used to make handbags. Sometimes, these silks are matched with other materials to create the sense the designer needs, such as decorating a leather bag with silk to lessen the sense of intensity or using embroidery to help reveal the exquisite nature of the design.
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52 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 53 Women’s Silk Outfit and its Contemporary Beauty Apart from Thai traditional silk dresses or classical silk outfits for special occasions, the development and new form of silk can be seen. Many new-generation Thai designers have started to use silk, both in traditional form and contemporary form, to create new silk designs that are more up-to-date and suit the lifestyle of the new generations. Therefore, it is not surprising that silk is now viewed with a new perspective as an appealing textile for everyone.
54 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 55 Thai designers see the potential of silk from various perspectives. For example, in the craft industry, silk can indicate the story of the locality, display the relationship between textile and nature, and even construct a new perspective and meaning of “silk” in the modern day by integrating the contemporary innovations and interpretation of each individual. As a result, Thai silk does not belong to only a group of people but becomes a textile for everyone.
56 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 57 Silk and the Design for the New Generation Fashion trends of the new generation, along with their personality and identity, are expressed through their clothes and outfits. Thus, exquisite Thai textiles are now used to mix and match freely with modern patterns and designs to make the design for the new generations.
58 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 59 For example, a comfy round-neck silk shirt with long sleeves can be made into a unique shirt by adding the details such as vintage patterns or graphic patterns to make it able to be worn in daily life. Pairing silk with pants, skirts or traditional skirts can also add a trendy touch of Thai style.
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62 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 63 Handbags are another women’s accessory that is preferably made with silk due to their extraordinary texture, as the shade and tone of the bag can be in both elegant or simple styles. Thus, the fun of mixing and matching silk does not stop with just clothes or garments but the overall look, which can express the fascinating sense of style of the wearer through the selection of handbags, accessories, or scarves made of silk.
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68 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 69 After all, silk is and always has been the favorite textile of women. From the exquisite appearance that can be mixed and matched with countless fashion styles to the opportunities to express creativity in designs, silk interpretation has always been a challenging task for both Thai designers and world-class designers.
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74 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 75 MEN Familiarly, in the perception of people, silk is often used for women’s garments and outfits. However, silk has long been worn by men since ancient times, whether as a garment or men’s insignia of rank. The luxurious texture and elaboration of the silk weaving technique can signify the distinctiveness of both the textile and the wearer. However, with the extraordinary properties of silk, especially the breathable property and the ability to absorb moisture but dry quickly, fashion designers are now interested in designing and finding the right look for silk in contemporary menswear while still being comfortable to wear and suitable for young men.
76 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 77 Color, Pattern and the Characteristics of Silk for Menswear One of the most distinctive features of silk is that the characteristic of silk will become much more striking after dyeing. Not only with bright, vivid tones but also with dark tones and earth tones, which makes it possible to use silk for menswear in various styles.
78 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 79 The standard colors of silk that are often used in menswear are white, brown, navy blue, gray, and black, which are easy to pair with and help bring out young men’s simple yet elegant personalities. Color matching can also be done by contrasting the colors of the shirt and the pants, which will help bring out an interesting personality, or matching all the outfits in earth tones, which will reveal the distinctive character of silk.
80 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 81 In terms of patterns, it is a challenge for fashion designers to design patterns for men’s silk clothing. In the past, the pattern of silk came from the weaving process, yarn preparation, and patterning after weaving. However, nowadays, the pattern can be designed in more contemporary ways. Graphic design and printing have become much more adopted into silk pattern designing as it not only increases the value of the silk but also increases the opportunities to use these clothes in many occasions.
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84 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 85 For example, the Jim Thompson Company has brought the distinctiveness of local Thai silk to the global runway. With the never-ending creativity and innovations, the reputation of Thai silk has become world-renowned. Silk was then widely used to design daily life clothing, including menswear, which helps bring out the unique charm of men.
86 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 87 Silk and the Contemporary Design for Menswear In addition to formal international clothing, silk is also used as an alternative for casual clothing for men in the fashion industry, breaking all the rules of traditional silk design by adding more exciting and contemporary creativity. Not only traditional shirts or safari shirts, the typical design of silk menswear, but other kinds of clothes such as t-shirts or slack pants can also be made of silk. By just changing the textile to silk, menswear design becomes much more interesting. Alternatively, adding other details to decorate silk, such as graphic prints or embroidery, also makes silk become a suitable alternative for fashionistas to break through the traditional perception and interpretation of silk, from a luxurious, shiny textile to a creative and distinct textile.
88 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 89 Designing silk for menswear has thus always been a challenge in the industry in terms of increasing the diversity of textile weaving techniques, creating unique patterns that reflect the character of both outfit and the silk itself, and mixing and matching silk to make it more interesting and enjoyable, breaking the traditional rules and concepts.
90 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 91 AESTHETICS OF SILK Silk is frequently used as home decoration as it has distinct features that can express the luxury vibe on its own. The beauty of Thai silk comes from its remarkable properties, such as its luster, softness, and smoothness. Moreover, silk will help cool the temperature down when the weather is hot and will help warm the temperature up when the weather is cold. By twining fine tiny silk threads into a long thread, it will deliver a soft but strong and durable textile after weaving. Hence, silk is not limited to just clothing but is also suitable for home decorations and household items decorations such as blankets, bed linens, pillowcases, etc. Silk for interior design is no different from those for the fashion industry, in which new designs and collections are constantly released. For the designer or creator who loves woven textiles, exceptional quality silk with distinct patterns is seen as a piece of artwork. When used as home decorations, its uniqueness can create a distinct and exclusive atmosphere for the house. Using textiles as part of an artwork is also the science of mixing and matching to create a new different perception of silk’s colors and patterns, which is one of the fascinating challenges. If the color and design are perfectly matched, the area will be much more stunning with distinctive colors.
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94 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 95 SILK AS HOME DECORATIONS The benefit of using textiles to decorate rooms is that the room becomes more attractive. The beauty of textiles can create liveliness from the first glance when walking into the house. With the proper design, Thai silk and its remarkable qualities are best suited for home decoration.
96 THAI SILK FOR ALL THAI SILK FOR ALL 97 Living room Nothing can be more satisfying than relaxing and lying on a big comfortable sofa in the living room. As the living room is a multipurpose space, how can we make it as comfortable as possible? Starting from the selection of splendid items in the room, something simple and easy to find, like silk, can be the main decoration of the room. Decorating a room with silk is not new, but making them look classy and stylish is also not easy. If you don’t know where and how to start, begin with color selection, as matching colors and patterns can make the space eye-catching.
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