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 The
production of textiles remains integral to Thailand's economic development
and prosperity. Although known as a prominent silk production center
in southeast Asia since ancient times, the Thai silk industry became
almost obsolete in the 19th century when textile manufacturers began
importing silk from China and Japan. Not until the 1950s, when Asian
textile enthusiast Jim Thompson attempted to revive textile manufacturing
and silk production throughout all of Thailand, did the world again
begin to recognize the traditional beauty and skill inherent in Thai
textiles. Since the latter half of the 20th century, Thailand's own
Queen Sirikit has continued to promote interest in traditional textile
forms and production, encouraging the translation of traditional styles
and methods into textiles with a more modern look or function.
The
Queen herself has personally inspected fabrics, visiting villages
throughout the country and advising ways in which the quality of textiles
can be improved and villagers can join together to produce the raw
materials needed for manufacture. By fashioning Thai fabrics into
modern and traditional clothes that she wears on all occasions, Queen
Sirikit models for the world the beautiful and stylish ways in which
a traditional craft can function in modern society.
 The diverse ethnic culture
of Thailand also greatly contributes to the nature and history of
the textiles produced. The Tai groups, Theravedan Buddhist peoples
who inhabit several southeast Asian countries, including Thailand,
Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, have brought their own traditions, styles
and techniques to Thai textile production. Migrating from China around
the 13th century, the Tais brought important weaving technology with
them, such as the frame loom and spindle wheel. Although many core
Tai textiles--such as men's loin cloths, women's skirts and utilitarian
fabrics--are still made on a back-tension loom, the introduction of
the frame loom has allowed for greater efficiency amongst textile
weavers. The Tais in particular also practice a weaving technique
known as "ikat," used primarily for women's skirts.
In this technique the weaver may construct the fabric's design on
the warp (horizontal) or the weft (vertical). Weft ikat techniques,
perhaps the most common, are also known as mat mii and are
utilized in numerous ways in Tai weaving.
The
hill tribes of northern and northeastern Thailand also make significant
contributions to the country's body of textiles. The Karen and Hmong
peoples, two of the most important hill tribes inhabiting Thailand,
represent refugee village cultures that subsist primarily off of textile
manufacturing. While some Karens have lived along the border of Thailand
and Myanmar for centuries, many more have fled as refugees from the
Burmese military government in recent years. The refugee Hmong tribes
have also fled persecution, in this case by the Laotian government,
often taking up government-owned land in Thailand. Because of their
slash-and-burn agricultural techniques, many of the Hmong have again
been pushed off the land by the Thai government and have resorted
to making and selling crafts and textiles to tourists. Despite— or
in part because of – the political troubles that both the Hmong and
the Karens have endured, textile production remains central to their
ways of life.
 More and more,
the world has begun to recognize Thailand as a source of high-quality
cotton and silk constructed by unique, traditional and highly-skilled
methods. Weaving centers in cities such as Lamphun and Hat Siaw produce
enormous amounts of silk and cotton for local consumption and export,
creating a worldwide demand for these fine textiles. In modern decades
textiles have become the most important currency after tourism; every
Thai girl is still expected to know how to spin and weave silk, and
households often grow their own silkworms for use in silk weaving.
The sponsorship of textile manufacturing by such high-profile figures
as Queen Sirikit has also ensured that textile production will continue
to remain an important practice for the Thai people in years to come.
This recent revival of such an ancient tradition and its translation
into a lucrative trade in the modern Thai economy has proven that
a centuries-old practice can successfully synthesize with modern life.
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