Made in Thailand: 3 Thai Designers that Weaves Thai’s Design Future

When traditional Thai wisdom is woven together with modern techniques and fresh interpretations, these three Thai brands reimagine heritage as contemporary craftsmanship.

VASSANA CRAFT STUDIO

VASSANA was founded by Ajarn Vassana Saima (“ajarn” is an honorific meaning “teacher” or “professor”), one of Thailand’s leading experts in product and handicraft design and a lecturer in the Department of Industrial Design at the Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna in Chiang Mai. While woven baskets and such are omnipresent in the North of Thailand, bamboo weaving as an art form is disappearing. Working with her son, Savin Saima, under VASSANA the two have worked to promote this traditional wisdom with colorful and contemporary creations such as decorative mobiles and elaborate garlands made of thin bamboo strips instead of flowers.

Website: vassanastudio.com
Instagram: @vassana_official

WISHULADA

Wishulada Panthanuwong is an artist who creates with trash. She is a proponent of the circular economy concept, which encourages sustainable use of natural resources through product design and the reuse of “waste” as a resource. Her portfolio includes a public bench made from tiles and other recycled building materials in the historic Tha Thien area, handbags constructed from old hotel uniforms and giant outdoor displays such as a colorful Christmas “tree” built with discarded toys. “Nothing is worthless,” she says. Under her brand WISHULADA, scraps of silk and other pieces of repurposed clothing become checkered tote bags, coin purses and backpacks.

Website: wishulada-art.com
Instagram: @wishulada.a

CHAKSARN

This stylish boutique handbag maker transforms traditionally made materials from Thailand’s Northeast-specifically mats woven from sedge grass and “khit” patterned fabrics-with cowhide leather to create fashion statements in bold accent colors. Founder Jirawat Mahasarn started the company in 2018 with the goal of preserving the weaving tradition in the Isan region, where he is from, by creating products with international appeal. Chaksarn’s “Candy” range of bags is hugely popular, with different color combinations and sell for 4,200-6,200 baht.

Website: chaksarn.com
Instagram: @chaksarnofficial

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