The Support Foundation of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit is one of the Royal Initiative Projects of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother that offers Thai people innumerable benefits. This project was founded in the same place where “The First Silk Weaving Group of Thailand” was established in 1977—Ban Nawha, Nawha District, Nakhon Phanom Province. Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya is dedicated to advancing and preserving the great royal aspirations through this initiative at this moment. The princess hopes to carry on this initiative in line with Her Majesty’s vision and intelligence, “Thai fabrics are fun to wear,” which aims to use Thai arts and crafts to reinvest income into the local economy. The princess also hopes to promote and encourage Thai fabrics on the global stage so that they become more contemporary and suitable for people of all ages and occasions.
On January 23rd, 2022. Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya visited and observed exhibition of the history of the first silk weaving group of this foundation at Wat That Prasit in the Nawha District of Nakhon Phanom Province then explored The Support Foundation of Her Majesty Queen Siriki’s history, which aspires to develop wisdoms of Thai textile, restoring ancient cloth patterns to the global stage and to be more contemporary. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit aims to contribute incomes back to the Ban Nawha community. This served as the inspiration for the creation of “Nawha Model”. The Queen also generously provided “Nawa Model” a project logo with a profound and impressive meaning to carry on the royal aspirations.
The mission of the Royal Initiative Project’s “Nawha Model” is to revive expertise and textile designs. The Community Development Department and Ministry of Interior, both work to support the initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya in 2022. They are key drivers behind the history of The Support Foundation of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit to assist weavers in being sustainably self-sufficient in the creation of fabric from upstream to downstream. Six weaving groups from the Ban Nawha community participated in the project as follows:
- Wat That Prasit Handicraft Center and Local Product Distribution Center
- Foundation of the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques Ban Tha Rua
3. Wat SriboonRuang local weaving community - Women weaving association of Ban Kock Sa-ard
- Ban Nawha local weaving community
- The new generation group is the heart of the community
The Community Development Department and Ministry of Interior have organized operational training sessions and site visits for Thai fabric designers who are experts in a variety of fields in order to share ideas, pay close attention to community needs and incorporate knowledge that can be used as a guide for creating fabrics for contemporary products to be more modernized and appreciated by both domestic and the international markets.
This makes Nawha model becomes a model project that shows significant success in bringing back wisdom to the community with the purpose to encourage the community to be self-sufficient and have the ability to create products that are globally recognized from upstream to downstream. Also, to create jobs, generate incomes, and sustainably improve lives of the weavers and their families.
This is the origin of “Nawha Model Exhibition” on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of The Support Foundation of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
In order to develop the model of weaving community and the development of Ban Nawha community textile products. Mr. Suthipong Chulcharoen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Dr. Wandee Khunchornyakong Juljarern, President of the Interior wives Association attended the opening ceremony, along with Mr. Thananrat Thanasetthakarn, advisory board member of “Thai fabrics are fun to wear” project and an expert in Thai fabric, Mr. Sirichai Taharanon, an expert in pattern design and development of Thai fabric and members of six weaving groups from the Ban Nawha community on October 21st , 2022 at ICONCRAFT, 5th Floor of ICONSIAM.
