A book newly acquired by the Thammasat University Libraries celebrates the tradition of textiles in Thailand. Through Woven Heritage, The Textiles Of Thailand: An Exhibition of Cultural Fascination and Beauty offers proof that even beyond the beauty of woven materials, they are also an important part of the Kingdom’s economy. A 2012 report in Textile World Asia explained that Thailand’s modern textile industry began in 1936, when the Thai Ministry of Defense imported machinery from Germany to produce textiles for military use. The Thai Textile Statistics for the years 2010-2011, produced by the Thailand Textile Institute (THTI), the textile industry made up between three and four percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product in 2009. On its website, the Thailand Textile Institute explains that its purpose as an organization is, among other goals:
As an organization that directs, promotes and supports cooperation in the textile and modern fashion industry in order to enhance the competitiveness of textile and garment industry, both domestically and internationally.
To stimulate and drive the research and development of new textile products for commerce.
… To study and analyze the situations of the textile and garment industry in Thailand and the world in order to recommend policies and to stimulate the actions for enhancing the competitiveness of the Thai textile and garment industry.
… To develop the Textile Intelligence for textile and garment products (Including clothing) for the development of the textile and garment markets; and to prepare the Strategy and Master Plan of the textile and garment industry for the sustainable competitiveness, under the provision of the Ministry of Industry.
To drive the application of textile product standards in the Thai textile and garment industry in a systematic and extensive way; to organize the system and support for creating knowledge for trade negotiation in congruence with the standards of textile and garment products by providing analyses and testing of textile products to meet the international standards and to promote knowledge on international trade negotiations and trade agreements relating to textiles and garments.
To support small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to adapt themselves to overseas markets by seeking supports from international organizations and the government, in order to facilitate the access of small and medium-sized enterprises in the international markets.
To increase the production capabilities of the textile and garment industry by providing training and technical development of textiles, chemical textiles, textile product analysis and testing, the management of textile products and trade, the management plant facilities, especially in areas lack of staff or education.
… To develop the textile industry entrepreneurs to focus on creative textile products in terms of pattern, color and cultural background, the development of materials and innovative fabrics for creating product differentiations and varieties.
To develop and prepare the readiness of textile entrepreneurs in order to produce environmentally friendly products that meet the market demands upon safety and hygiene, toward the sustainability of the textile industry.
Not many countries are able, as Thailand does, to produce the basic materials for textiles and also provide all the expertise necessary to weave, knit, dye, and print the finished product. Thai silk is appreciated around the world, but the Kingdom also manufactures some organic and inorganic cotton. In 2010, according to the Department of Industrial Works of the Thai Ministry of Industry, the textile industry consisted of over 2000 mills producing clothing, almost 700 knitting mills, almost 600 weaving mills, almost 400 dyeing and printing mills, 150 spinning mills and 16 man-made-fiber mills. Over one million people work in the textile sector each year, making it Thailand’s second-most important industrial source of employment. In 2010, the export value of Thai textiles and clothing was $7.55 billion USD. Although the historic floods of 2011 caused considerable damage to the industry, rising production costs and wages also challenge the sector. Finding skilled workers and maintaining up-to-date technology are also matters of some concern. With these goals in mind, the THTI was established as a non-profit organization, upgrading machinery and technology, as well as focusing on research, development, and education. THTI was founded in 2004 when Kathleen Forance Johnson, wife of former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Darryl Johnson. The plan was to establish a society devoted to the study, appreciation, and preservation of the textile arts in the kingdom and the region.
Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles
As all Thais know, in 2003, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit requested permission to use a building on the grounds of the Grand Palace for a new museum of textiles. A building from the 1800s formerly occupied by the Ministry of Finance was renovated for this purpose. In addition to public display areas, library, and lecture hall, there is also a pioneering textile conservation laboratory, the first in the Kingdom. The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles explains its purpose on its attractive website:
The museum’s mission is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a centre for all who wish to learn about textiles, past and present, from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, with a special emphasis on the textiles of, and related to, the royal court and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
In an interview with The Nation from 2013, Dale Carolyn Gluckman, an American consultant at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles
pointed out that textiles relate to more than just cloth. In life and history, they are also involved with
technology, art and art history, craftsmanship, economics development, sociology, culture, and anthropology.
Some of the most intriguing items on display were the result of collaboration between Thai materials and French fashion. One is the celebrated Thai Dusit dress, designed by the noted French fashion creator Pierre Balmain around 1963. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit wore this dress in 1963 at a banquet in Manila during a state visit to the Philippines and in 1964 to a performance at Thammasat University. Named after the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace, the dress’s gold brocade with elaborate embroidery has been widely admired by world fashion experts. Yet the Thai Dusit is only one of several different styles of Thai national costume that Her Majesty the Queen helped to develop between 1958 and 1964. Another design for evening wear by Balmain, the Thai Sivalai dress is also in the museum collection. It features ivory brocade in a sequinned pattern and was worn by HM the Queen at the royal naming ceremony for Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall at Dusit Palace in 1972. Balmain also created the Thai Chakri dress in 1982, with attached shoulder cloth of silk and gold brocade. As conceived by the established designer Balmain, by then a very experienced creator admired for his elegance and sophistication, these garments retain a timeless quality. One of the great challenges for any textile collection in the ASEAN region is how to deal with heat and humidity, which tend to be the enemies of maintaining fabrics in good condition. Since the most precious dresses were correctly seen from the start as works of art, they were not worn many times. The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles’ laboratory for preservation and storage facilities help to further ensure that these items may be enjoyed by future generations of visitors.
The future of Thai Textiles
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promotes hand-woven textiles as part of the Thai cultural heritage. Many different ethnic groups in the Kingdom have their own textile traditions, and marketing projects even suggest that wearing Thai textiles is cooler than other fabrics made overseas, meaning that less air conditioning can result, saving the cost of electricity. Whether or not these practical results occur, we can always admire handcrafted textiles for their beauty. The Lue Lai Kham Museum in Baan Sri Don Chai in Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district celebrates fabrics woven by ethnic Tai Lue artisans. The museum also sells newly produced textiles and tapestries by Tai Lue craftspeople. A book in the TU Libraries collection, The Cultural Heritage of Tai Lue Textiles by Professor Songsak Prangwatanakun of Chiang Mai University explains the variety and grandeur of these artistic creations. Small wonder that the textile and garment industry in the Kingdom is still seen as a growth industry due to increased competitiveness in the ASEAN region.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).