‘Curation’ is an essential part of presenting art and culture. While each piece has its own inherent value, curation and presentation can elevate that artwork to make it more interesting or even create new meanings. This is the far-reaching vision of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit in bringing ‘Thai fabrics’ and ‘Thai clothing’ from being mere local artisans' works to becoming a 'cultural heritage' of Thailand in the eyes of the world.
After visiting citizens across the country, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit reflected that regardless of where they are from, all Thais possess great artistic creativity. With her interest in fashion, she observed the unique beauty of Thai silk crafted by local artisans. "Even those living far from the capital have significant artistic skills, such as in Thai silk and various Thai fabrics, which are beautiful in color and pattern, stemming from the talents of the villagers themselves, without requiring anyone to design their patterns and colors," Her Majesty Queen Sirikit stated.
Mudmee fabric - Curation that transforms household cloth into renowned wisdom.
In 1970, after a flood disaster in Nakhon Phanom Province, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit noticed that the citizens who came to greet her were predominantly wearing mudmee fabric. When she asked them about it, she learned that these were fabrics woven by the villagers for their own use, and were considered to be worn only by the poor. "I told them that the fabric they were wearing was beautiful and asked if they could weave some for the Queen. The villagers replied, ‘Why would the Queen want to wear something like this? Only the poor wear it, like the maids in Bangkok.’ I replied that I would wear it all the time if they wove it for me, and they agreed," Her Majesty Queen Sirikit recalled.
Today, mudmee silk has become a widely recognized fabric, regardless of where people are from.
Pierre Balmain - Curating designers to use Thai fabrics as a diplomatic tool.
During Her Majesty's travels accompanying His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej to strengthen diplomatic relations in the United States and Europe, she selected designer Pierre Balmain, founder of the Balmain brand, to create outfits to be worn throughout the trip using Thai fabrics.
Balmain designed the outfits with the concept of embroidery representing Eastern floral motifs that harmonized with the patterns of Thai silk, while blending Western tailoring techniques, resulting in a perfect ‘East Meet West’ design.
The formal outfits, adhering to Western etiquette, combined with the beauty of Thai fabrics, elegantly presented Thai art to the world.
8 Royal Thai traditional costumes - Curating to showcase the potential of Thai fabrics.
After traveling to Western countries, several outfits designed by Pierre Balmain were curated and adapted into ‘Royal Thai Traditional Costumes,’ the national attire for Thai women that expresses Thai identity, suitable for various occasions as an alternative to Western formal wear.
Through various curatorial approaches, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit has transformed what the public might overlook as common household fabrics into valuable art, showcasing possibilities in terms of beauty, diplomacy, and presenting Thai identity.
References:senate.go.th,qsds.go.th