When I went back to the U.S. for the Top Bloggers’ Tour, one of the things I did was give 15 minute presentations to elementary school students about Thailand. With such a short amount of time, I decided to tell the kids about one aspect of Thailand that it is famous for: its textiles and fabrics, and so I passed around examples of different kinds of scarfs and gave them an opportunity to dress up in some of the Thai clothes that I have. There is a lot going on in the textile, fabric and fashion world here in Thailand.
Of course, Thailand is perhaps most well known for its silk. Thai silk is world renowned perhaps with most thanks going to two major people: H.M. Queen Sirikit and Jim Thompson.
Traditional Thai Silk and Queen Sirikit
Queen Sirikit made a big effort at raising women’s entrepreneurial opportunities and saw the then-dying silk industry as a great way to encourage women’s development.
When she and H.M. King Bhumibol came to power, one of the first things they did was to take a tour of the country and visit many rural areas. She reached out to the women in the villages she visited and asked to see their traditionally patterned silk and then commissioned them to make her a couple of meters.
She then took the fabric to French design houses to make modern dresses and outfits for her using the traditional silk, which she then wore when she and H.M. the King went on their world tour.
This gave exposure to the fine quality of traditional Thai silk on an international stage and helped to kick start the silk industry revival in Thailand. The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in Bangkok is well worth a visit.
Modern Thai Silk and Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson brought a more modern edge to Thai silks.
He worked for the Office of Strategic Services, which was the predecessor to the CIA, in Thailand to help push out the Japanese occupation. Though the Japanese surrendered before he arrived, he did still work in Bangkok for a number of years.
After being discharged, he and a partner bought the Thai Silk Company and focused pretty exclusively on exporting Thai silk, making sure that popular patterns were continued and high quality was maintained.
He also insisted upon keeping the cottage industry aspect of the company, allowing women weavers to work at home. It was only after his disappearance that the Thai Silk Company moved to more factory based model.
Thompson built a house on the khlong in Bangkok which is open as a museum and the Jim Thompson silk company has a farm that is open for visits during the cold season.
Thai Cotton
Perhaps lesser known among Thai textiles is the cotton from the north. Thailand produces about 10,000 tons of cotton a year. Not much is written about the cotton farming industry in Thailand, but any trip to a market in northern Thailand will certainly have an abundance of beautiful cotton scarves for sale.