Thailand, formerly known as ‘Siam’ and officially known as the ‘Kingdom of Thailand’, is a country located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by Myanmar and Laos in north; Laos and Cambodia in the east; Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia in the south; and the Andaman Sea in the west. The country is prominent for its tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Lord Buddha. Till now, Thailand has received only one Geographical Indication (GI) Tag namely Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk.
Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk is a handicraft product, whose application for GI tag was filed by Lamphun Provincial Administration on 16th October, 2015 and the product was certified on 30th December, 2017. The Application Details of ‘Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk’ are mentioned below-
Application Details
| Application Number | 534 |
| Geographical Indications | Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk |
| Status | Registered |
| Applicant Name | Lamphun Provincial Administration |
| Applicant Address | 125 moo 15, Tambon Pasak, Muang – District, Lamphun, Thailand. |
| Date of Filing | 16/10/2015 |
| Class | 24 & 25 |
| Goods | Textiles |
| Geographical Area | Lamphun |
| Priority Country | Thailand |
| Journal Number | 100 |
| Availability Date | 30/08/2017 |
| Certificate Number | 304 |
| Certificate Date | 30/12/2017 |
| Registration Valid Upto | 15/10/2025 |
Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk, locally known as “Pa Mai Yoke Dork Lamphun”, refers to silk fabric woven in bas relief motifs. The term “Yoke” refers to the weaving process where the silk threads are ‘lifted’ while the other set of warp is ‘depressed’ between which the weft shuttle is inserted. Supplementary silk threads are inserted to make designs. Nowadays, silver and golden threads are also used as supplementary weft to create even more appealing designs.
The designs of Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk are more delicate than silk fabrics from other regions which have more rigid-looking designs. In the northern weaving process, one of the heddles is known as the “suspended heddle” which does not allow changing the pattern in the course of the production process. In case of a change of pattern, the entire suspended heddle shall be removed and the warp threads must be re-arranged. A motif made using the suspended heddle can consist of at least 15 motif heddles. In the Northeast, the heddle which is used is the connected heddle which allows motif’s modification. A motif made using this type of heddle can consist in more than 100 motif heddles. However, the drawback of the connected heddle is that removing only one motif heddle can destroy the entire pattern and in such case, the heddle will have to be re-arranged.
The main components of Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk are namely silk, silver and golden threads. The intricate weaving technique for Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk is a craft heritage that has been handed down through generations.
GI Tags of Thailand are-
Handicraft Products:
- Lamphun Brocade Thai Silk [here]
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