From 18 to 22 November 2019, The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture will present the ninth Celebration of Silk: Thai Silk Road to the World at Central World Bangkok. The event includes international exhibitions of Thai silk fashion week. Highlights of the event include a fashion show on 23 November at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Center, featuring Thai silk produced by the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT), under the Royal patronage of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother. The garments will be designed by fashion designers from 70 countries.

The Thammasat University Library collection contains several volumes about silk as an art form and industry.

Sericulture, or silk farming, means the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Silk is believed to have been produced in China for thousands of years. Sericulture is a significant industry today in Thailand, Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Russia. China and India produce over 60% of the world’s annual production.

The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture, was established in 2009, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Its aim was to

increase the capacity in sericulture management from downstream to upstream. The main mission of the department is to strengthen integration of various activities in preserving, protecting, inheriting, sustaining, and promoting the production, processing and marketing of silk, mulberry and their products. This is in particular to fulfill the royal initiative of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, in preserving traditional Thai silk as well as sustaining community.

Vision:

Conserve Local Wisdom and Develop Thai Silk to Meet International Level

Missions:

• Enhance the potential of production and add value to mulberry, silk, and products thereof.
• Research and develop mulberry and silkworm varieties as well as production technology, plant protection, and processing of mulberry, silk, and products thereof.
• Develop and promote the conservation and protection of silkworm genetics as well as strengthen culture and local wisdom on sericulture.
• Develop and support the establishment of production cluster and technology transfer.
• Develop and promote marketing and management of mulberry, silk, and products thereof along the supply chain.
• Complete the missions in compliance with the legal requirements.

Last year, 48 countries participated in the event. International fashion designers from 39 countries came to Thailand, and 9 Thai fashion designers also took part in the celebration.

Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles

One appropriate way to commemorate the Celebration of Silk: Thai Silk Road to the World 2019 would be to visit or revisit the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in the Ratsadakhorn-bhibhathana Building of The Grand Palace. As its website notes, its mission

is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a center 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. Additionally, its goal is to create public awareness of Thai identity and culture, and the beauty of Thai traditional textiles, through research, exhibition, and interpretation. The museum’s objectives, set by Her Majesty, are being achieved by the museum staff, guided by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The museum historic building is also described on the website:

In 2003, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit requested permission to use a then-vacant building on the grounds of the Grand Palace to house a new museum of textiles. The Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building, erected in 1870 by King Rama V and formerly the Ministry of Finance, was graciously granted for this purpose by His Late Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. This Italianate office building had previously served as the Ministry of Finance and the Office of Royal Ceremony. For its reinvention as a museum it underwent a top-to-bottom renovation that transformed it into a state-of-the-art facility boasting new visitor reception areas, galleries, storage, an education studio, library, lecture hall, and Thailand’s first dedicated textile conservation laboratory. Nonetheless, its past is still very much present, in the preservation of its original façade and many internal architectural details.

In addition to permanent displays, until May 31, 2021, visitors may enjoy the exhibit, A Royal Treasure: The Javanese Batik Collection of King Chulalongkorn of Siam. The show focuses on the batik collection of King Chulalongkorn, acquired during his three trips to Java in 1870, 1896, and 1901. After His Majesty King Rama V’s trips to Java, he brought back a collection of 300 pieces of batik, including several rare examples.

In addition, a new exhibit which opened in August 2019, The Power of Love, honors Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother’s work and dedication to different fields since her royal appointment as Queen in 1950. This exhibit includes Her Majesty’s garments and related accessories, including handbags, hats, and handheld fans.

TU students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science Program in Textile Science and Technology may be interested in the possibility of volunteering at the museum. The museum website offers details about how to volunteer and contact information.

Jim Thompson House

Another relevant place to visit or revisit during the Celebration of Silk: Thai Silk Road to the World 2019 would be the Jim Thompson House on Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road in Bangkok, when it reopens after current renovations. As TU students know, Jim Thompson, as the website for Jim Thompson Fabrics notes, was an American who

was captivated by Thailand and its culture, particularly the art of hand‑woven Thai silk, with its remarkable range of colours and textures. At that time, however, the craft of silk weaving was in steep decline, threatened by machine‑made fabrics and the advent of synthetic yarns. Yet Jim Thompson believed Thai silk would appeal to textile lovers in America and Europe, whose patronage could support local weavers and silk farmers, in an era when economic opportunities were limited in a developing country such as Thailand. Jim Thompson dedicated his life to organizing a network of artisans, helping to upgrade their looms, introducing new techniques and designs thereby enabling Thai weavers to create silks that would dazzle the world. By 1950 he had founded The Thai Silk Company, majority‑owned by Thais, aimed in part at sustaining the traditional livelihoods, culture and dignity of local weavers and silk farmers… Jim Thompson fabrics soon won a devoted following among interior designers, couturiers and creators of costumes for stage and screen. By the 1960s, Thai silk had become world renowned, creating a luxury craft industry that benefited thousands of families, just as Jim Thompson had envisaged.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)