BANGKOK — Honey shower gel sourced from Nakhon Ratchasima. Tasselled earrings made from Isaan cloth. Scarves patterned after Thai porcelain.
The Designers’ Room & Talent Thai fair, running Saturday and Sunday at BITEC, will feature 67 Thai designers hawking everything from silk cocoon lamps to charcoal plates. The fair, hosted by the Commerce Ministry, aims to promote local brands.
“We are all new generation designers. My mom made silk keychains for 10 baht each for OTOP. But as her son and part of the new generation, I want to increase our profits to the thousands, ten of thousands,” said Kitisak Kajornpai, 33, native of Saraburi and owner of Socoon brand.
Socoon, an OTOP brand, makes funky lamps and bags from unboiled silk cocoons from Saraburi.
Read: Designers Take OTOP Products From Nope to Dope
Although not all brands participating in the fair are part of One Tambon, One Product, a state program which promotes and sells products from a tambon or subdistrict nationwide, all are made by Thai designers and locally sourced. Kitisak says that many of his peers make eco-friendly products as well.
Well-designed, even trendy brands by younger Thais are trying to change the dowdy image of tourist-trap souvenirs with which Thai crafts are often associated. Other goods you might pick up from the fair include skincare made from Antidesma plants, honey from Baan Sub Sri Chan village in Nakhon Ratchasima, jewelry made from Sakon Nakhon cloth, and even glasses made custom for your face.
Read: Shop For Thai Souvenirs That Aren’t Elephant Pants
The Ministry of Commerce’s Department of International Trade Promotion will hold another Designers’ Room fair in October.
The Designers’ Room & Talent Thai fair is open 11am until 8pm Saturday and Sunday at BITEC Bang Na, reachable from BTS Bang Na.
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