ArtisansWe work with rural communities in Thailand and Laos where women have long been recognized as valuable and equal members of their families and communities. These artisans:
TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles is building trading relationships with the following established groups. Read about them below or visit our Travel Blog to read stories of our 2007-2008 visits with some of these groups.
They are expert and widely respected for their dyeing skills using natural materials, protecting both their own health and that of their environment. Panmai is a member of The ThaiCraft Association, which is a member of IFAT, the global network of Fair Trade Organizations. You can find handwoven Panmai silk scarves and shawls and silk squares for quilters and other fibre artists in our Online Shop. Prae Pan Group has 200 members in 7 villages in Thailand’s Khon Kaen province. They are highly skilled at supplementary weft weaving and the natural dyeing of cotton, although they weave silk as well. Prae Pan, like Panmai, has been operating for 20 years and is proud to be entirely villager-run and self-sufficient.
Prae Pan is a member of The ThaiCraft Association, which is a member of IFAT, the global network of Fair Trade Organizations. You can find handwoven Prae Pan silk scarves in our Online Shop. Nan Hattakam was formed by ethnic minority groups living in Thailand, close to the Lao border. The project provides an important source of income as well as helping preserve their distinctive cross-stitch techniques. Nan Hattakam is a member of The ThaiCraft Association, which is a member of IFAT, the global network of Fair Trade Organizations.
Fai Gaem Mai is a member of The ThaiCraft Association, which is a member of IFAT, the global network of Fair Trade Organizations. You can find Eri and mulberry silk scarves, created by the Pad Naa Sawan village women's weaving group, in our Online Shop. Pattanarak Foundation works to balance development and conservation among disadvantaged communities and stateless peoples. Their products are handmade with an indigenous species of cotton organically grown along the Thai-Lao border on the banks of the Mekong River. After spinning, dyeing and weaving, some products are sewn by projects in the west of Thailand along the Burmese border. This helps forge links and exchange ideas between communities that are experiencing similar challenges. Suan Nguen Mee Ma Company (Garden of Fruition) was founded by Sulak Sivaraksa, who was honoured with the Right Livelihood Award (the “Alternative Nobel Prize”), to explore new markets for indigenous crafts, to publish educational materials and to act as a small-scale, practice-based “think tank.” Among their projects, they support small groups of farmers in Nan, Thailand to revitalize organic cotton growing, spinning and weaving. You can find organic cotton tablecloths/runners from these artisans in our Online Shop. Green Net Coop helps Thai organic farmers market their products. One Green Net project brings together grandmothers who grow, spin and weave organic cotton in Ban Kokkabok in Loei province with sewers in Panmai Group in Northeast Thailand, who transform the cloth into children’s sunhats and baby products. Read the story of the Kokkabok Women's Cotton Group. Look for these great kids' sunhats in our Online Shop. Mulberries is the market brand of the Lao Sericulture Co., a not-for-profit organization that is accredited by IFAT. Its goal is to strengthen the position of women in Laos by providing them with dependable incomes and to preserve their sophisticated weaving and natural dyeing techniques. Women are further trained to bring diverse skills and environmental sustainable to the complex cycle of silk production with extraordinary results. Founder Kommaly Chantavong was a nominee for 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 for her work on this important project that is recognized for its poverty alleviation, cultural preservation and peace building. You can find Mulberries silk scarves and decorative weavings in our Online Shop. Voices of the weavers
To see more photos by TAMMACHAT's co-founder Ellen Agger, visit Social Fabric, a sampling from her collection from visits to weaving villages in Thailand and Laos.
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handcrafted • fairly traded • naturally dyed textiles |
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