Gilding Nature

Last year Sacict, the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand, introduced Lux by Sacict, a brand that showcases Thailand’s highest-quality crafts, along with its debut collection “Gold Touch”. 

This year the luxury brand is looking further afield to the international market and will be taking its new “Touch of Nature” collection to join the Maison et Objet Paris interior design trade fair in September. A month later the crafts will be introduced to the Danish public at Illum, Copenhagen, the country’s oldest department store, now owned by the Central Group. 

Lux by Sacict’s first collection “Gold Touch” featured sophisticated products created by various masters long celebrated in their respective fields along with innovative designs by new generation artisans made according to original techniques. The products are made of or inspired by gold and include gold brocade silk, stone set bowls, Sukhothai gold jewellery, Petchaburi gold jewellery, khon masks, gilded lacquer ware, nielloware art and Benjarong or Pentachrome porcelain. The products have been well received by consumers. 

“For the second year, Sacict has been working with master artisans and leading Thai designers to create contemporary handicrafts for the modern lifestyle,” says Pimpapaan Chansilpa, chief executive of Sacict. 

“We’ve created furniture, home decor objects and accessories on the theme ‘Touch of Nature’. This collection is inspired by the ancient wisdom of Thai artisans and their use of natural materials but the prototypes are designed to match the lifestyle of the new generation. We will be launching the collection on the global market later this year.” 

Traditional Thai handicrafts are well known for their sophisticated pattern, elaborate design and rare materials as well as their manpower-consuming and time-intensive nature. These factors are mixed blessings for artisans and designers involved.

Weeratham Tragoonngernthai from the Chan Soma weaving centre in Surin is known for his dedication to reviving the art of golden brocade and designing sophisticated patterns for the court. His renowned 1,416-heddles weaving technique requires four to eight people per loom, depending on the complexity of the pattern, and produce just a small length of material a day.

“It is very hard to teach the weaving technique to new recruits and we can produce only five centimetres of material a day per loom. The amount that we could produce in any one year is limited although, looking on the bright side, that adds more value to our silk.”

“We stick to the ancient know-how, which is now embraced by the modern world because the traditional way is environmentally friendly. Our silk thread is dyed or tie-dyed with natural colourings: red from stick lac, yellow from ermaginate wood or jackfruit, green from Indian almond, and blue from indigo.”

“Silk is always treated as a luxury fabric for special occasions. Collectors and customers in the high-end market love the embroidery and elaborate patterns that represent royal Thai traditional handicrafts. They love to collect works of art and fine handicrafts from other cultures too so they don’t mind waiting and paying the high prices.

“We tap into the consumer market with modern pieces like silk shawls, neckties and scarves. Obviously, we have to cut some details so that we consume less time and are able to fit the pattern in smaller space but the products for the two groups still share the same quality.”

Pramote Khaohen, a Sukhothai goldsmith from Somsamai Goldshop and a Craftsman Descendant of 2013, has also come up with new designs for the international market. 

“The traditional patterns look terrific on the traditional Thai costume but would be hard to match with today’s fashion. That’s why we’re having to design something new for the modern world. I was raised in a family of goldsmiths and learned as a youngster how to produce traditional Thai gold accessories. I learned all about the traditional patterns and how to craft the 99.99 per cent gold, which makes Sukhothai gold unique. That knowledge makes it easier for me to design gold accessories with Sukhothai goldsmith characteristics for modern consumers.

“The traditional Sukhothai gold pattern and design are quite popular among Asean nationals, especially those who live in Laos and Myanmar, because we have a shared culture and love the same styles. But I am confident that the sophisticated Sukhothai gold accessories will also touch the hearts of international consumers,” says Pramote.

Thanin Chuenjai, a gilded lacquerware master from Phetchaburi, believes that everybody should feel close to the traditional Thai arts so they can admire and preserve them.

“Everyone carries a mobile phone these day so I started painting traditional Thai patterns and Thai mythical characters using gilded lacquerware techniques on mobile cases.

“Despite what many Thais think, lai rod nam, as gilded black lacquer work is known, does not only refer to manuscript cabinets in the temple. I’ve let the kids I teach paint the lacquer on every natural material they can put their hands on like stones and pebbles. And now we have gilded lacquerware stones as paperweights. You can turn any natural material into a work of art.”

Sirikarn Jirajbhaskornkul and Supot Suwannasing, both decorative art graduates from Silpakorn University and founders of the brand Saprang, are also ready to showcase their works to the world.

Sirikarn’s works are fashion accessories with a unique design inspired by circles and palm leaves.

“There are many ways to play with a circle and I love that. Once I’ve got the form, I then start on the composition of each piece. Personally, I prefer huge accessories because they draw attention immediately, especially when the design matches the personality of the wearer. 

“You would not believe the scale of the accessory that was in my mind. It was really huge, almost like a statue, so I had to scale it down to make it easier to wear. Some pieces of my work require their owners to understand how to wear them and on which arm,” grins Sirikarn as she demonstrates how to wear an arm brace-like bracelet on her left arm. 

“The value of the material is not the reason people choose my work. Most of the time they choose it because they like the design. This collection is gold over brass, not real gold. Brass has its own charm but sometimes I just want to add a little glitter.”

The more than 80 contemporary handicrafts making up the collection are proof of the hard work and artistic achievement that has gone into their development. Frontline Thai designer teams working for the Touch of Nature collection are Yothaka, Korakot, Momoest, Bamboonique, Hat, Fonthip, Pilantha, Saprang, Todesire, Nimmind Studio, Plussense, Flow, PIN and Art of T. 

“The ‘Touch of Nature’ collection is the fruit of labour of leading designers, artisans and many communities. Each piece has gone through many processes and plenty of hard work. They are labours of love brimming over with inspiration and new knowledge. Products from this collection help us preserve the ancient wisdom and bring it back to life. The traditional handicraft products are all developed to match the contemporary lifestyle,” says Suwan Kongkhunthian, design director of Lux by Sacict 2015.

“I have to thank all my designer friends, the master craftsmen and the communities for their hard work. They have brought life to a ‘Touch of Nature’.”

 

 

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