PHU PHAN, Thailand: Drawing was a matter of secrecy for Tavee Meboot when she was a little girl. The more she drew, the more money her father had to fork out to buy new notebooks.
Over the past seven years, Bhukram has revived the disappearing art of cotton weaving in the community. Its artisans are local villagers who grow, weave and dye cotton by hand. With needles and threads, they then tell the story of local livelihoods through intricate embroidery that has given Bhukram its unique character.
“I always wanted to come home after finishing my education. I wanted to come back to do something and stay with my parents.” Colourful flowers and trees, streams, farms and paddy fields make up the designs of Bhukram’s products. They range from scarves to jackets, dresses and shirts - all made from cotton by hand.
“The income may not be regular like US$600-900 every month and there is no overtime. But by working from home and doing embroidery, I can sweep the floor, look after my child and my dogs, water my plants, tidy up my house and cook. My work stays with me,” Tavee told CNA. Each collection contains a limited number of items. They are all unique and come with name tags and photographs of the artisans who created them - weavers, dyers, seamstresses and embroiderers.
“Whenever Meaw posts our work online, I’ll keep checking it. When customers comment ‘Oh wow! It’s so beautiful!’ or write ‘Reserve’,” she said with a broad smile, “I’m proud, so very proud.”Besides operating as a clothing brand, Bhukram also tries to communicate with society about preserving nature and the local way of life.
For embroiderers like Tavee and Areena, they have to come up with their own design once they are assigned a concept for a piece of clothing. It could be a plain dress, jacket or scarf, which still needs to be decorated. The wild daisy is her favourite flower because she used to make a crown out of them when she was a little girl.
Fast fashion refers to the mass production of inexpensive, trendy garments that are low-quality and disposable. The business model is common in Thailand and often employs low-paid workers.Local women process raw cotton by hand in Nang Toeng village, Thailand. “I’m amazed by their embroidery, which requires a lot of attention and care. Their work isn’t produced en masse like other brands,” said Nitaya Onhan.