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Written by Lin Nina
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Monday, 05 January 2009 |
The exquisite needle works by the Hmong hilltribe people in Northern Thailand owe their inspiration to their surrounding nature and the cubical shapes of things in their daily life which are reflected on their elaborate ethnic tribe costumes. Ratana Yingyotmongkonsan, 22, a Hmong fabric designer from Chiang Mai's Doi Pui, has developed the old Hmong fabrics into original and classic bags which are much sought after by Thai and foreign enthusiasts of hill tribe fabrics. You will observe an explosion of Hmong bags on sale either at the Sunday's Walking Street or other shopping spots around Chiang Mai, but Ratana’s regular buyers mentioned to me that none of the bags is similar in qualities and designs.
Ratana, a tiny lady with a radiant face said, "I am fascinated with the Hmong fabrics and costumes because they are part of our lives. I was born at home in the Doi Pui Hmong village where my father assisted my mother in the natural delivery. Hmong villagers used to plant opium poppies until His Majesty the King introduced The Royal Project crops substitution to replace the illegal opium cultivation. The villagers then turned to peach trees growing, and after working in the fields all day a few later chose to become merchants conducting business in the city at night. Many families have permanently moved to settle in the city." Ratana graduated in fashion, fabrics and apparels designing from the Rajabhat University, Chiang Mai, and continued her dress making studies for another two months at the Aung Doi Design School.
"To start off my little business almost two years ago, I was fortunate to get support from my elder sister who has been in the business of making Hmong bags for some decades, so I was encouraged to initiate my own styles and designs. I obtained the raw materials of old Hmong costumes and fabrics from my uncle, a merchant who travels widely around the North to several Hmong villages, trading his plastic and kitchen utensils in exchange of old costumes and fabrics on a barter system. Then I bought these fabrics from my uncle, so I have this wide range of old Hmong fabrics to be used in my creations. The Hmong hill tribes are comprised of Hmong Khao (The White Hmong) and Hmong Khiew (the green Hmong). Each tribe has its own and distinctive embroidery works. These needle work designs on costumes and hemp and silk fabrics are inspired by nature from the sun, hills, flowers, and elephant feet depicting circle designs conveying the meaning of rotating virtue and their unchanged beautiful culture, while others are cubical shapes of things around them such as on Hmong batik."
Ratana expressed her concerns that the fine handmade Hmong needle works on fabrics would soon vanish because Hmong hill tribes have now switched to use China made sewing machines to create embroidery works. Ratana showed me a piece of new embroidery works done by sewing machine, and I found that the artwork had become flat, lacking in dimension and originality as it is being mass produced by machine. Ratana added that hill tribe fabric lovers should start collecting old and exquisite fabrics of Hmong needle works.
Ratana has named her products "Handmade Bags", featuring ladies and men handbags suitable for young to mature ages, cosmetic bags, coin pouches, camera bags, mobile phone pockets, jewelry bags, eye glasses pockets, aprons, and mobile phone decorative rings. Prices range from 35 baht to over 2,000 baht a piece. She explained that her production processes start first by cleaning the old fabrics, dying them, and then choosing which fabric should be created into what product that would match the original design. Hand woven cotton fabrics from the Chiang Mai's Chom Thong District are used in patching the old Hmong fabric pieces. Other decorations include old Burmese coins, small shells, or wood buttons. Ratana disclosed that she has attained a good working concentration method while making her bags by listening to a Dhamma preaching broadcast on the radio.
The majority of her clients are from Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and Thais. Ratana has no showroom as she and her boy friend Kampol usually display their handmade bags at the Anussarn Night Market, situated on Chang Klan Road opposite the Royal Princess Hotel, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the week, and on every Sunday she moves to the Walking Street opposite Wat Chai Phra Kiet from 6.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Interested persons can contact Ratana at:
| Images of Hmong Handmade Bags |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 05 January 2009 )
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