Thailand’s fame as a silk producer is, perhaps surprisingly, a very recent phenomenon. To be sure, it has ancient origins-archaeologists have discovered 3,000-year old silk in the ruins of Ban Chiang, widely considered to be the earliest civilization in Southeast Asia-but unit the 1950 silk-weaving was moribund.

Silk is the filament produced by the caterpillars of a type of moth that feeds on the mulberry bush. Silkworms are not, in fact, worms; they cocoons using their salivary glands at the time when they change from larvae into pupae. The silk from Thailand’s caterpillars, most of which are raised on the Korat Plateau in the country’s northeast, varies in color from pale gold very pale green. Each cocoon is woven from a single thread that is 500-15,000 m (1,600-4,920 ft) long. One filament is too thin to use alone so many threads are combines to make a thicker, more practical fibred. The sheen of woven silk cloth-its most admired quality-comes from the structure of the fibers, which are triangular in

cross-section and so reflect light like prisms. It also has lavers of protein that add luster and smoothness to its natural sheen. At the same time insect fiber is immensely elastic and supple.


The technique of producing from silk is credited to the Chinese who closely guarded the secret of silk-weaving for centuries. China dominated production with its smooth, satiny cloth, and the importance of the trade in to give rise to the overland route known as the Silk Road. The export of cocoons, silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds was banned, but eventually and inevitably some cocoons were smuggled out of China and the techniques as well.

Silk production then spread to other Asian countries, including Thailand. Evidence from the Ban Chiang excavations, however, suggests the possibility that was independent production in ancient times. As a cottage industry in Thailand, it dates; it dates back some hundreds of years. In contrast to the refinement of ancient Chinese silk, the Thai cloth has a relatively Chinese silk. The Thai cloth has a relatively coarse texture with uneven, slightly knotty threads, even though the silk itself is usually soft. This quality makes it extremely suitable for hand weaving, and while modern techniques allow perfectly smooth silk to be made, the type most commonly associated with Thai production is relatively coarse and thick, with what is known as a ‘nubby’ appearance. This imperfection gives it a special beauty, and is immediate evidence of its hand-made-nature-a welcome contrast to machine-woven silk.


In 1902 the King, Rama V, decided to raise the quality of Thai silk, and invited a team of Japanese sericulture experts to help improve the production of raw silk. A school was opened in Korat and a silk-worm breeding establishment in Buriram; new Japanese looms were imported. Unfortunately, the natural conservatism of the villagers proved impossible to overcome, and the experiment was abandoned. Then, shortly after World War II, Jim Thompson, an American former intelligence officer, settled in Thailand and set up a commercial in Bangkok. His company was asked was asked to make the costumes for the original Broadway production of The King and I’. The boom in Thailand’s tourist industry ensured an ever-growing demand. Today, the largest hand-weaving silk facility in the world is in Pakthongchai. In the northeast.