TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles - meet artisans from Thailand & Laos

Panmai Group members raise a heritage variety of mulberry silkworms

Panmai Group has 250 members living in 3 provinces in Northeast Thailand in both Khmer and Laotian villages, who draw on these traditions in their designs. These women are highly skilled in sericulture (the entire cycle of silk production) and are proud to weave only organic, village-reeled and naturally dyed silk yarns.

They are expert and widely respected for their dyeing skills using natural materials, protecting both their own health and that of their environment.

Prae Pan Group has 70 active members in 7 villages in Khon Kaen province in Northeast Thailand. They are highly skilled at supplementary weft weaving and the natural dyeing of cotton, and 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 Group members do natural dyeing experiments

During a recent visit, women from both groups told us that this work allows them to stay in their villages where they can live with their families, grow rice and practice their foremothers’ art – while preserving it for their heirs.

indigo dyeing and mudmee weaving group supported by the Pattanarak Foundation

Pattanarak Foundation works to balance development and conservation among disadvantaged communities and stateless peoples along Thailand’s borders. Their products are handmade with an indigenous species of cotton organically grown along the Thai-Lao border on the banks of the Mekong River. One village group working with Pattanarak specializes in indigo dyeing, always popular for its lively colour – “nature’s true blue.”

Organic cotton shoulder bag dyed with natural indigo The Houey Hong Vocational Training Centre for Women, located outside Vientiane, the capital of Laos, offers training and employment for Lao women from disadvantaged backgrounds in the areas of natural dyeing, traditional Lao weaving, tailoring and small business administration. According to its website: The Houey Hong Vocational Training Centre for Woman has 3 main objectives:

To provide training for various skill levels, in weaving, dyeing and tailoring for women from rural areas who are disadvantaged, poor and/or who have a disability
To revive and support Lao’s traditional crafts, such as natural dyeing and traditional weaving
To introduce other suitable skills, such as tailoring, to women who have little education

Initially funded by Japanese and other development organizations, they now rely on income from the sale of products made by trainees and staff (past trainees) and from tour activities at the Centre.

Read about our Weavers Helping Weavers fundraising efforts to train 2 young women at the Houey Hong Centre!

You can find shoulder bags (some of which we designed) in our Online Shop.

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Saoban is a Vientiane-based marketing outlet for over a dozen village groups that work with the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC) in rural Laos. At Saoban’s shop, young entrepreneurs develop business skills while providing much-needed markets for village products that range from bamboo-silk handbags to naturally dyed silk scarves. This is part of PADETC’s vision for Laos: education for sustainable development.

Mulberries is the market brand of the Lao Sericulture Co., a not-for-profit organization that is accredited by the World Fair Trade Organization. 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 sustainability 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.

Fai Gaem Mai is based in Chiang Mai University and helps community-based production groups in Northern Thailand develop handwoven Eri silk products, one of the textile products that TAMMACHAT carries. The Eri silkworm feeds on the leaves of cassava, rather than mulberry, providing additional income for villagers already growing this high-volume, low-value commodity.

Artisans