Traditions in blue

EDUCATED IN Bangkok but closely attached to his Isaan roots, designer Prach Niyomkar brings a modern twist to the traditions of his home province with a range of fashion accessories and home decor items made from hand-woven, indigo-dyed textiles. 
After graduating with a master’s degree in design from Rangsit University in 2009, Prach returned home to Sakon Nakhon and the following year set up Mann Craft and Kram Thong to come up with what he called wearable arts. 
“I realised it would be possible to set up a business after attending a series of Department of Export Promotion business seminars during which veteran entrepreneurs shared their experience and offered tips for start-ups,” he says. 
Prach turned his house into an experimental factory for kram (indigo) dyeing, using all natural materials to create a new and long lasting palette. He also worked with a group of weavers in modifying hand-woven fabrics to give them greater appeal.
“Sakon Nakhon is famous for its indigo-dyed fabric and I’ve always believed in its potential. I learned the basics from local specialists then invented my own colours from trees and plants around my village. 
“At the same time, I tried to convince local weavers to develop new graphic designs by decreasing some of the details. It was hard to change the way they thought but we were happy with the results. The designs still reflect the charm of Isaan culture. Now, I’m working with 25 artisans from the villages of Na Nok Khao and Na Jan,” Prach says. 
“There are many formulas for kram fermentation. My kram is blended with indigo, fruit paste, ashes, honey and rice whisky. The kram vessel should have an acerbic, bitter and salty taste. We have to learn the nature of our kram and talk sweetly to it. We have to observe its colour and add oxygen regularly to feed the microbes in the kram pot. In the past, villagers performed a ritual to their sacred kram vessel because they believed it could help create a beautiful colour.”
Prach brought his wares to the Bangkok International Gift and Houseware Fairs, the Bangkok International Fashion and Leather Fairs, the International Innovative Craft Fair and Design Expo and won a lot of fans. This year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand invited Prach to join the Thailand Festival in Tokyo, where he ran a series of indigo-dyeing workshops. 
“I’ve also teamed up with the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (Sacict) to host a series of sustainable craft workshops. And my creations were selected for a design roadshow in London organised by Sacict and the British Council,” Prach says. 
Prach has a boutique at Bon Marche, which stocks the latest collections of Mann Craft and Kram Thong under one roof. His garments and accessories are one-of-kind, fashioned from hand-woven cotton and silk and in a gradation of colours from pastel blue, deep blue to purple. The new colour pairing is also created to give a modern look.
He also uses other local plants to produce new colour palettes such as red from golden flower pods, red-brown from pradu, grey from Bengal almond and eucalyptus, yellow from the samoh leaf, green from mango leaves and black from ebony tree. 
Mann Craft has a great selection of smart cotton bags, indigo-dyed T-shirts, hand-woven cotton heels in different shades of indigo, clutches, headbands and lamps made from woven basket and mulberry paper. Older shoppers will love his shawls that look like hand-painted abstract artworks.
 “Indigo dyeing is an art. I still get excited every day when I stain my fabric because I can’t guess the colour I will get. You dip fabric 1,000 times in a kram pot and you never get the same colour,” Prach says.
Kram Thong has a range of well-cut blouses, skirts, pants, blazers, dresses and sarongs for the working woman.
  

NATURAL DYES
>>Mann Craft is at Bon Marche Market, Room C109. It’s open daily from 9.30 to 6. Call (085) 013 0191 or visit the “Mann Craft Shop” page on Facebook.