The founder of Welcome to Chiang Rai Co Ltd, a new social enterprise in northern Thailand, was inspired by the beauty and diversity of hill tribe apparel and accessories and aims to add value to such crafted products to help generate sustainable income for the communities producing them.
Ms Chotiros's passion and love of hand-woven textiles produced by local weavers led to the establishment of 'Welcome to Chiang Rai' in December 2023.
Ms Chotiros's passion and love of hand-woven textiles produced by local weavers led to the establishment of 'Welcome to Chiang Rai' in December 2023.
Chotiros Thatthaisong, the 58-year-old chief executive of Welcome to Chiang Rai, graduated with a marketing degree from Assumption University.
Although she is not a native of Chiang Rai, having grown up in Bangkok, Ms Chotiros and her family have lived in the province for five years near the Nang Non mountain range, where 13 young footballers became trapped in Tham Luang Cave in Mae Sai district in 2018, sparking global interest in the subsequent rescue mission.
PROVIDING A GLOBAL STAGE
With an avid interest in fashion and fabrics, last year Ms Chotiros organised "Chiang Rai Fashion to the World", a unique fashion show staged at the Mae Sai border checkpoint, held in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and local organisations.
The show was held in tandem with a fashion design competition, offering a prize pot worth 400,000 baht and selling hill tribe clothing from the Pangha community.
The second Chiang Rai fashion event was held from Aug 30 to Sept 1 this year, in collaboration with the Commerce Ministry, bringing together Thai fashion designers with counterparts from China, India, Laos and Myanmar.
She said Chiang Rai province has many invaluable assets, especially the craftmanship displayed by artisans from indigenous hill tribes, whose skills and traditions have been passed down from one generation to the next, including the knowledge required to produce handwoven fabrics.
"The intricate pieces have all been hand-crafted by members of the community, some of which take up to 3-4 months to complete. Each strand and stitch reflects the inspiration from nature, local ways of life and diverse ethnic cultures," Ms Chotiros said.
"This motivates me to use my knowledge in marketing to commercialise the work of these artisans to improve communities' livelihoods and income in a sustainable way, while also preserving their ethnic identity."
She said her passion for handwoven textiles produced by local weavers led to the establishment of Welcome to Chiang Rai in December 2023.
The Community Development Department later introduced the company to 32 entrepreneurs in Chiang Rai keen on using silk and Tai Lue textiles to create a variety of products to decorate shirts, jeans, blazers, hats, scarves and crochet tote bags.
EXPERIENCE COUNTS
"The people who make products for us include both elderly and disabled people aged between 50-75, for whom embroidery has long been part of their everyday lives. The company wants to play a role in helping to create jobs and generate sustainable income for the community," said Ms Chotiros.
"Instead of producing large items of clothing, which is time-consuming, expensive, and can only be worn only during festivals, we opt to produce smaller pieces that are timeless or can be worn in a variety of settings.
"The influx of Chinese products into Thailand has not had a significant impact on the company as our products are handmade and unique, whereas mass-produced items from China are manufactured in factories."
Unesco designated Chiang Rai a "Creative City of Design" in 2023.
KEEPING THE SKILLS ALIVE
The company teamed up with Chiang Rai Vocational College to develop a curriculum for textile design featuring an introduction to textiles, yarns, textile materials, fabric designs and advanced drawing.
Vocational students have the opportunity to learn about these subjects and related skills, while working with 32 entrepreneurs in Chiang Rai, with the first cohort scheduled for next month.
The programme will provide opportunities for students to sell their craft items, while preparing them for a wide range of careers in the textile and fashion industry, she said.
Ms Chotiros said the company's products are available for sale at Jungceylon in Phuket and Emsphere in Bangkok, with negotiations are ongoing for placement at King Power outlets.
Welcome to Chiang Rai plans to expand its sales channel to Central Chiang Mai and Central Pattaya, with new stores planned in Yangon, Myanmar and Bodh Gaya, India by year-end, she said.
"Instead of promoting the sale of an entire work as a masterpiece, which is less affordable and likely worn in limited circumstances, the company proposes the government elevate craft fabrics by producing small pieces for use as decoration for suits and bags. These could be worn in a variety of settings and exported to other markets, rather than limited to the main markets such as Japan and Europe," said Ms Chotiros.
The local wisdom and creativity of these cultural assets should be leveraged to increase economic value that promotes the country's soft power, she said.