Bangkok, 20 August, 2016 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is marking Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 84th Birthday month with a display of Thailand’s traditional textiles and weaving skills of the nation’s artisans, which Her Majesty has done so much to preserve. The “Passage of Thai Fabric – A Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen” exhibition, held from 20 to 21 August, is a part of the TAT’s Women’s Journey Thailand campaign that is running throughout the month of August.
H.E. Mrs Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports said, “The Passage of Thai Fabric – A Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen” event will showcase Thailand’s traditional textiles and will educate people about the weaving and embroidering traditions that have made Thai cloth and handicrafts so famous around the world.
“The event will allow Thais and visitors to see first-hand the huge variety and high quality of Thai fabrics and learn how they are made. Without the dedication of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, many of these fabrics and the techniques used to make them would be lost forever. It is her hard work that has made Thailand’s silks and cloth much sought after by fashion designers.”
Visitors to the exhibition will be able to learn how Thailand’s fabrics and materials are unique to different regions of the country and see how the local ways of life inspire the vivid patterns and colours. There will be a catwalk fashion show featuring 15 unique Thai textiles including Lai Nam Lai from Nan province, Matmi from Lop Buri, Pum Riang fabric from Surat Thani, and some of the exquisitely embroidered work from Thailand’s hill tribes and ethnic groups.
The show will give visitors the chance to see these wonderful fabrics used in dresses and costumes designed by leading designers from Thailand’s top five brands including ASAVA, Tube Gallery, Chai Gold Label, Hook’s and Issue, as well as innovative creations by students from Thailand’s top centres for fashion design including Silpakorn, Srinakharinwirot, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat, Rangsit, and Bangkok Universities. The fashion show will take place at Siam Paragon on 20 August from 18.30 to 20.30 Hrs
As well as the textiles from 15 different parts of Thailand, visitors to the exhibition will be able to see examples of folk arts and handmade jewellery made by skilled craftspeople from around the nation. There is also the chance to buy examples of these products and so boost the income of artisan communities. It is hoped that the event will inspire tourists to travel to some of Thailand’s provinces to see where these textiles are made and are sometimes even worn by people as part of their traditional dress.
Mr. Visanu Jaroensilp, TAT Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business said, “In many ways, this event celebrates Thailand’s women. Many of our most famous textiles are the result of the hard work of generations of creative women and deserve to be seen and enjoyed by a new and appreciative audience. Textiles can reveal so much about a nation, and we hope that everyone who visits this exhibition will learn a little more about our rich Thai culture.”
Following the exhibition at Siam Paragon, there will be an exhibition on Thailand’s traditional textiles and dresses and costumes designed by leading designers at the Plearnary Mall from 23 to 28 August, 2016.