See pha khao ma prosper

DESIGNER LINDA Charoenlab of clothing-brand Lalalove managed to generate considerable interest in Tokyo recently with the humble wrap-around textile we all know as pha khao ma.
Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo at Shibuya Hikarie Hall was the setting for this traditional checked farmer’s cloth-of-myriad-uses to seize the international spotlight.
London-based Linda infused her bright-hued pha khao ma – that’s the transliteration she uses – with fresh looks in a range of clothing, from cute to street- funky.
A graduate of the London College of Fashion, she’s made a name for herself overseas with bold and quirky ideas, starting with organic-cotton T-shirts sold in the British capital’s famed Porto- bello Road Market. 
She later landed at the Top Shop store in Oxford Street and gained the confidence to establish her own brand. Lalalove, birthed in 2009, has found fans from Berlin to Bangkok and grown so rapidly that there are now three sister brands. 
 Lalalove London stays close to the firm’s roots. Lalalove World’s swim- wear is highly sought after. And Lalalove is unisex ready-to-wear. 
Linda has stores in Bangkok at Siam Center and the Emporium, but with her latest concept, “Lalalove x Pakaoma”, this most mundane of Thai fabrics steps onto the global stage. 
The collection makes the most of the vibrant colours and check pattern of pha khao ma and its readiness for use in so many different situations. 
Pha khao ma has traditionally wrapped and cradled babies, been a hammock for indolent afternoons, towelled off wet torsos, perched on heads as a turban, warded off chills, held up trousers and preserved modesty in many other ways besides. Weaving them can also be a nice little income earner for farm families between growing seasons.
Typically about 72 inches in width – enough to tie securely around the waist – and 30 inches long so it falls just below the knee, the pha khao ma is woven by hand in every corner of the country. Its origins can be guessed from the specific colour schemes, patterns and weaving techniques used. 
There’s been a remarkable evolution to the pha khao ma since the old days, with more variations in size, designs and hue accommodating unusual ideas and innovative uses.
As part of a campaign called “Traditional Pakaoma Thai Handicraft” supported by Pracharat Rak Samakee, the Ministry of Interior’s Community Development Depart- ment and Thai Beverage, Linda and her team travelled around the Kingdom quizzing weavers about the cloth’s local history and the influences behind the colours and designs they used. 
Each and every community, they confirmed, has something different to offer. They went to Gudjit in Sakon Nakhon, Wang Yao and Pon Swan in Sra Kaew, Khao Tao in Parchuab Khiri Khan and Ban San Luang in Chiang Rai. 
Linda talked to the “aunties” she found working at the looms about purchasing material for her design work. Now she’s devoted to securing orders, especially from overseas buyers, so she can keep the promises she made to them. 
Lightening the dedication and commitment is a good measure of fun, with the results apparent in Lalalove’s signature quirkiness. Linda has recruited illustrator Hathairat “Oh Futong” Charoenchaichana, a long-time friend, to join her on her travels and in the design studio. 
Together they’ve explored every aspect of the art of making pha khao ma, from dyeing the yarn to weaving the cloth, and they came to appreciate the artisans’ individual stories. The weavers too wear pha khao ma 
 every day of their lives. Each succeeding generation of babies is bundled the same way in checked linen. 
“When designing for the inter
 national runway, you don’t want pha khao ma wrapped around the waist or head or worn like a sarong,” Linda says. “We use more subtle ways to add appeal, such as drawing on the cloth and embroidering it by hand, which is mostly done in the villages.”
She admits it posed a challenge giving a fundamentally unfashionable fabric enough appeal that it would earn a place on catwalks overseas, despite all the jazzy colours and attractive patterns. She managed to accomplish it by giving pha khao ma that “Lalalove twist” in a collection called “Play”.
The name refers to the inspiration Linda found in classic games that children play using old shards of pha khao ma. In Mon Son Pa, the kids sit in a circle and sing a song while passing the cloth behind their backs. The one holding it when the song ends is the loser.
Hatairat drew a scene of cartoon elephants, crocodiles, bears and monkeys playing the game and painted them by hand to decorate popular Lalalove pieces including a jumper, |T-shirt, leggings, bomber jacket and ruffled dress. The artwork gives the clothes an undeniable youth and playfulness. 
“Pha khao ma represents joy, cheer, liveliness – a good mood that lasts forever – and the colour schemes are one of its unique features,” Linda says. “So I divided the colours among the collection. There are neutrals, sweet pastels and the brighter hues, and interestingly, it’s the bright ones that sell best.” 
Each piece of pha khao ma is hand-dyed as well as hand-woven by rural artisans, many of whom are living testaments to Her Majesty the Queen’s lifelong efforts to revive and preserve Thai textiles and textile crafts.
“We’re committed to promoting Thai craftsmanship too, and we make it our mission to share these values and opportunities with both our customers and the weavers behind these amazing fabrics,” says Linda. “All items have a tag certifying the type and origin of the fabric, and we make an effort to guarantee that each and every single process is conducted in accordance with fair practice.
“I definitely feel positive about the future of ‘fashion pha khao ma’ in the market,” she adds. “There are more than 400 villages where the fabric is woven and I’m dealing with fewer than 10, which gives me quite a lot already. 
“All we had to do was be patient and learn how the weavers do business. They prefer that we buy material from them right away – and in cash,” she laughs. “There’ve been times when we’ve placed order and were ready to transfer the money, only to have the auntie say she’s already sold everything to a factory. A lot of these villages are a long way from any post office, after all. 
“So what I’ve learned from all this is that we can’t consider ourselves the centre of the universe. We have to tone down our ego and be nice to everyone. Pha khao ma is handwoven, and it’s the artist’s work that’s the real charm of it.” 

 THAT’S MORE THAN A WRAP
- Pha khao ma clothing created by 10 leading designers including Lalalove is on display all this month at Idea Avenue on the first floor of Siam Center.