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Laos Essential Artistry Archive Page
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The following article was from a recent issue of the Vientiane Times we thought customers might like to read. In the article Ms. Bouakham mentions sharing design her ideas with her aunt in Nongbouathong, a village with weavers we feature at Laos Essential Artistry. We will try to locate her when we visit Laos in late December so we can feature her in one of our blogs and maybe we'll purchase some of her sinhs to sell at Laos Essential Artistry!
"It is not easy for a provincial woman to become successful producing Lao silk skirts (sinhs) in Vientiane . Ms Bouakham Bouasengthong, also known as Boua, is from Xieng Khuang province, where it is common for women to make sinhs to earn money for their families. Ms Bouakham has been learning how to make silk sinhs since she was very young. She was taught by her mother and relatives, who hoped she would continue in the family business. In 1995 she and her husband decided to look for work in Vientiane so their two sons and one daughter could have a good education. But renting in the capital city was expensive, and it was difficult for the family to meet all of their expenses by relying on her husband's earnings as a teacher. After living in Vientiane for four months Ms Bouakham decided to start weaving, because this work required a small amount of capital. “I wanted to preserve Lao culture and handicrafts like my family used to do, and also take on a new challenge,” she said. “It took a lot of energy for me to start doing this work again. It is delicate work and requires a lot of patience.” At first it was difficult for Ms Bouakham to figure out what kind of sinhs her customers in Vientiane wanted. She studied local markets and adjusted her designs and prices accordingly. By 2000 she had 15 looms to weave her sinhs, which she was selling at Khuadin and Thalat Xao markets. By 2005 her work had gained a good reputation for being popular with foreign tourists looking for souvenirs of their time in Laos . In 2006 her work was displayed at the national football stadium and she was recognised for producing the best handicrafts in Nongtha- neua village. “I was very glad to receive that recognition because I knew it would help my work become better known,” she said. Ms Bouakham's work has also been exhibited during important events in her community, including an event last month to celebrate Nongtha-neua village becoming a model cultural village. One large customer base is Lao expatriates who return home to visit. Many of them buy her work as gifts for relatives living overseas and to remind themselves of home. Ms Bouakham often surveys young girls and women about the particular styles they like. She also shares ideas with her aunt in Nongbouathong village and observes current fashion trends. This helps her create designs that are popular and easy to sell. Ms Bouakham said the handicraft industry was growing and there was increasing competition from factories and individuals. This means she has to work harder to make her products even more attractive to customers. Ms Bouakham manages her money carefully to ensure she can pay all of her family's expenses, while also having enough to reinvest in the business and to save for her children's education. by: Laos Essential Artistry 0 Comments 
Monday, November 10, 2008
 New 1000 KIP note above, old 1000 KIP note below  So, what do you think? The big difference is that in the new 1000 KIP note they used real Lao women as their models. Bai and I like the note and what's even more impressive is that the models actually appear to be ethnically the same as the ethnic group they are representing. Often, the Lao will use Lao Loum (majority Lao) women to represent all the ethnic groups and just have them wear the clothes of that particular group as shown in the photo below of Lao dancers representing the three same ethnic groups. But here, it's clear the Hmong young woman, is really Hmong. It's hard to tell with the Lao Theung young woman, but we would assume she is Lao Theung (one of the indigenous Lao ethnic groups).  In a Vientiane Times article where various people were questioned about what they thought of the new 1000 KIP notes, we liked the following response which of course connects with Laos Essential Artistry! An employee at Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao, Mr Bounkorn phouthichai: I approve of the new 1,000 kip note because it is more attractive and is also difficult for criminals to copy. The central bank wanted to issue an improved version of the banknote to encourage more people to use it. I think the picture of three real women on the note helps to promote our rich culture. The women come from each of our three main ethnic groups and the pictures show visitors the traditional dress of our people. They can see that Lao women still wear the traditional long skirt (sinh) and the use of a photograph helps to prevent forgeries." Peter has quantities of the older 1000 KIP note, in brand new condition, that he hands out at workshops he gives in the California region on Laos because the portrayal of the three young women representing the three major ethnic groupings is a great way to begin talking about the rich ethnic diversity in Laos. And of course he is eager to add the new 1000 KIP note to his collection. We're in the process of getting ready to return to Laos in December and we've talked to friend in Laos and it seems that the dollar is less in demand now, and that most Lao prefer to be paid in KIP. The KIP has seemed to rise slowly in value over the year, whereas the Thai baht has dropped over the last couple of months. by: Laos Essential Artistry 0 Comments
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The video clip here was taken in Muang Vaen, a small, somewhat remote weaving village in Huaphan Province (about two hours from Sam Neua). The weavers in this village, mostly Lao, are some of the best weavers in Huaphan Province and their silk textiles are featured in shops in the Morning Market in Vientiane. We're a little surprised that we haven't sold any of the silk textiles we feature from Muang Vaen and we think if you watch this weaver you will see how talented they are. The silk textiles they weave are a thicker weave (they use more silk!) and probably most people buy them for display purposes though the shorter ones could be used as a scarf. All their silk is naturally dyed and the colors they favor now are a beautiful range of pastels. We will be going back to Muang Vaen in December and will hopefully be ordering a set of silk scarves from one pattern we especially like. Ordering textiles from Muang Vaen is problematic because they don't have landline phones and cell phones can't get a signal in Muang Vaen. If we're lucky that will change and then we can have direct contact with the weavers. As it is now we have to fly to Sam Neua and then rent a van to reach this remote village. It's a beautiful drive and would be especially beautiful when the rice is golden yellow and ready to harvest. When we go in December, thankfully it's the dry season so the dirt road is passable, but the rice paddies are just stubble as the rice will have been harvested beginning in November. We encourage you to check out the Laos texiles we carry from Muang Vaen and if you're looking for Lao textiles that feature exquisite weaving, you'll like what you see! Here is the link to our Muang Vaen section and you will see the same weaver featured in the lead photo on this page. The Lao pastel silk textiles are featured here. by: Laos Essential Artistry 0 Comments
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